The Two Bridges Regional Jail's proposed operating budget for 2008-2009 is $7.8 million, an increase of over $2 million, or 47 percent, from the $4.7 million in the current budget.

The total proposed budget, including the increase in the debt service would cost Lincoln County a total of $4.4 million, an increase of $1.25 million over last year. The proposed budget would cost Sagadahoc County $3.4 million, an increase of about $1 million over last year. The two counties built the jail in Wiscasset with the provision that Lincoln would pay 57 percent of the cost, and Sagadahoc 43 percent, reflecting the number of inmates that would be sent from each of the two counties.

The new Correctional Administrator Leonard LeGrand said the increase is in part due to the uncertainties in the proposed state consolidation plan. About $1.2 million of the increase is for personnel.

LeGrand is asking to increase staffing and inmate population at the jail. The proposed budget was presented to the Jail Authority Directors at their monthly meeting, March 5. The operating budget for 2007-2008 is based on an average inmate count of 110. LeGrand is proposing to increase the inmate population to 150, and add six new full-time and one half time correctional officer. As of the time of the meeting, LeGrand reported there are currently five vacant correctional officers positions open.

"Two Bridges now has a staffing plan to safely manage 120 inmates, but has never been at the authorized staffing levels." LeGrand said.

The purpose of the proposed increase in the inmate population and additional staffing is in anticipation of boarding more federal inmates, and the predicted growth in the number of local defendants.

The revenue received from the federal inmates exceeds the cost of boarding state inmates, according to LeGrand. Currently Two Bridges is being paid $92 per day per federal inmate, and $95 per day from other counties (outside Lincoln and Sagadahoc counties) for their inmates.

The proposed state consolidation plan for county jails, which has several versions, is still up in the air, which prevents an accurate forecast of revenues, according to LeGrand.

One version of the consolidation plan is to have the state take the burden of debt service for all county jails and not pay any boarding fees. Another version of the plan is to have 290 municipalities within the state share the debt service, with the state paying boarding fees of about $30 per day per inmate, according to LeGrand.

LeGrand told the jail authority directors the jail had 11 federal inmates with four more to come at the end of the week.

LeGrand has projected a boarding revenue of $403,000, which includes the federal boarders only. Last year's projected revenue was just over $1 million, which now appears to have been a high projection.

"The increase in the budget is quite modest as it takes the following items into consideration," LeGrand said in his budget request:

• "Services and Commodities for 36 percent more inmates;

• "Expanded inmate programming;

• "The addition of six full time and one half-time correctional officers;

• "Across the board salary increases for employees of three percent, merit increases where appropriate;

• "The beginning of a three-year plan to completely paint the facility by painting about one-third of the facility each year."

The jail authority finance committee met Tuesday, March 11, to go over the budget. It was clear the directors had concern with the increase in the proposed budget, asking LeGrand if he was familiar with LD1, the state cap on municipal spending passed in 2005 by the state legislature.

The proposed increase in the jail budget would require a higher assessment by the counties to their municipalities, according to the consensus among some of the authority members. Therefore, a vote by the voters would be required in each town to exceed the LD1 cap.

Authority member Sheriff Mark Westrum suggested the budget should be kept as low as possible, with the uncertainty of the state consolidation plan. LeGrand agreed the budget should be kept as low as possible. "However, it should be a realistic budget," LeGrand said.

The proposed personnel account is showing an increase of $1.2 million over what was spent in a 12 month period last year. From January 1, 2007 through December 31, 2007, $3.8 million was spent on personnel. The budget for the fiscal year was $4.2 million. The proposed budget request for 2008-2009 is $5 million.

Other increases include: contractual services, an increase of over $400,000; debt service, increase of 89,000; equipment, an increase of $27,000; and commodities, an increase of $47,000.

Authority Chairman Sheridan Bond, who is also a Lincoln County Commissioner said Tuesday afternoon in a telephone conversation, "This is just the beginning of the budget process. There will be workshops throughout the month to do some fine-tuning before final approval is given for a preliminary budget to go before the commissioners of each county."

The authority also discussed a report during the meeting by the Pew Center, which says, "Four states - Vermont, Michigan, Oregon and Connecticut, now spend more on corrections than they do on higher education."

The report was compiled by Pew Center's Public Safety Performance Project, which is working with 13 states on developing programs to divert offenders from prison without jeopardizing public safety.

"Getting tough on criminals has gotten tough on taxpayers," said the project's director Adam Gelb in the report.

The Lincoln and Sagadahoc sheriff's departments have diverting programs that divert close to 50 percent of inmates, saving the counties the cost of incarceration.

Lincoln County Sheriff Todd Bracket and Westrum are both strong advocates of diversion programs.

They have expressed concern with the state takeover of the county jails and whether these diversion programs might be eliminated, since the state does not have them.

The jail authority holds their monthly meetings the first Wednesday of each month, at the Two Bridges Regional Jail, beginning at 4 p.m.