The House Tuesday voted 114-to-29 to approve a plan that creates a statewide Board of Corrections to help run the county jail system and make decisions about future expansions or closures in return for capping the amount local property taxpayers spend to support the facilities.

The plan was worked out with county commissioners and sheriffs and has the support of 13 out of the 16 counties. Representatives from Lincoln and Sagadahoc counties voted against the proposal because of concern about what would happen to the newly built Two-Bridges Jail.

"The promises here are grand and the risk is great," said Rep. Jonathan McKane, R-Newcastle, who questioned whether ceding control of the jails over to a statewide board would really save taxpayers any money.

"We can do better than this," he said.

Under the plan, any amount over $60 million, which represents current jail operating costs statewide, would be picked up by the state. As a tradeoff to the state picking up the additional tabs, any future jail expansions or increases in county jail budgets that exceed a predetermined growth rate would have to be approved by a state Board of Corrections, made up of members from the county, state and municipal governments and the general public.

That board also would recommend which jails should close or be converted to other uses, like pre-trial holding facilities and which would house a facility to treat inmates with mental illness.

Better coordination of county jail services and transportation of inmates, joint purchasing among the jails and the state prison system and better use of empty beds to help out facilities that are overcrowded are all supposed to save money, or at least stop the rates of increase in the county jail budgets.

A major concern is that when jails need more money from the state, it may not be there.

"Show me the money," said Rep. Carol Grose, D-Woolwich, explaining what she would need to be convinced.