The Lincoln/Sagadahoc Jail Authority Finance Committee has recommended the increases to the 2008-2009 county assessments for the Two Bridges Regional Jail be decreased from the proposed 47 percent to a two percent increase.

Although the first budget proposal would have gone from $4.7 million to $6.8 million, a $2 million increase over the current budget, jail officials have not settled upon a final figure, according to Correctional Administrator, Leonard LeGrand.

The finance committee met last week to go over the proposed budget and recommended major changes to the first proposal presented on March 5. The committee voted to direct LeGrand to limit the operating expense increase to Lincoln and Sagadahoc Counties to two percent. Lincoln County's assessment will be up just over $53,000, bringing the operating assessment for that county from $2,671,685 to $2,725,119. Sagadahoc County would see an increase of just over $40,000, in the operating budget, bringing the total from $2,015,482 to $2,055,792.

Other recommendations include using $200,000 of the anticipated budget surplus from the 2007-2008 budget as revenue in the 2008-2009 budget, and balancing the remainder of the budget with anticipated boarding revenue.

LeGrand had asked in the first budget proposal to increase staffing by six full-time correctional officers, and one half-time correctional officer to support an inmate population at the jail from 110 inmates to 150 inmates.

The number of correctional officers' positions will now be determined by the amount of inmate growth and the amount of revenue gained from inmate boarders.

The first budget proposal did not include any projected revenue for boarded state and other county inmates - it included only projected revenue from boarding federal inmates. The Maine Department of Corrections has a contract with the jail through the end of the year to board 23 inmates at a rate of $85 per day.

The impact of the state jail consolidation plan being a work in progress, creates a problem in developing a budget, according to LeGrand.

The budget approval process is scheduled to be completed by June 17; the new fiscal year begins July 1.

After members of the jail authority give the budget preliminary approval, it goes to the county commissioners for a preliminary approval. This process should be completed by May 20.

The commissioners will look the budget over, make their recommendations, then the jail authority will approve the final budget at the annual meeting, June 4. On June 5, the final budget will be presented to the commissioners of both counties.

Sagadahoc County Commissioners will approve the budget June 13, and Lincoln County Commissioners will approve their budget June 17.