A $400,000 shortfall for Two Bridges Regional Jail has kept the Jail Authority sifting the current budget to find ways to cover costs until June.
“We have to look at every penny,” Correctional Administrator Mark Westrum told authority members at their monthly meeting Jan. 14.
“I want to be very up front with you,” he said.
Recently, the authority and administration found budgetary means of allowing 23 staff members to stay and to keep three to four pods open. For one thing, the cost of unemployment and benefits would have been considerable, he said.
“We’ve cut our operating budget so deep we’re not sending anyone to training,” Westrum said.
For fiscal year 2008-09 through Dec. 31, the jail took in $2.77 million in revenue but expenses totaled $2.8 million, leaving the jail $71,775 in the red so far, according to a report issued at the authority’s monthly meeting last Wednesday.
“If this is really a unified system, the state is going to have to live up to its promises,” Westrum said.
The jail relies on obtaining $250,000 from $5.1 million in investment funds the state Board of Corrections has for transitions. Westrum said from talking with the appropriations committee, the most he could expect is $229,361.
By next week, the jail will have 60 state inmates, 37 more than it had previously because of an authority decision to expand the limit to increase revenue. The jail contracted with the state to take on more state inmates at a slight increase to $22 per bed, per day.
However, all jails may not be able to charge anything after June 30 in Westrum’s understanding of the state Dept. of Corrections’ plans under the new so-named unified system.
During the session, auditor Ron Smith of RHR Smith & Co. gave some figures for the 2008 fiscal year audit including $50,000 left in the bond account. He recommended closing the account and returning the funds to the counties, and the authority decided to follow his recommendation.
Of the total surplus, $400,000 of the carry forward has been applied to the shortfall, which otherwise would have been $800,000.
Smith also reported $230,000 in reserves, $19,000 of which sits in unemployment reserves.
Election of officers
The authority decided to wait until the next monthly meeting to amend the bylaws on term limits for chairman and vice chairman instead of suspending them as first suggested. Vice Chairman Todd McPhee said it would be illegal to suspend the bylaws, since there is no provision to do that, but there is a provision for amendments.
Under the current bylaws, the chairman and vice chairman are supposed to serve for three years.
Authority board member Katharine Martin-Savage made a motion to keep Chairman Sheridan Bond and Vice Chairman McPhee in office for another year, citing as reasons the complicated issues surrounding state changes, revenue, and other challenges this year.
Martin-Savage was re-elected as clerk and Peter Lepari was elected treasurer.
Lincoln County commissioners previously renewed the appointment of Martin-Savage and Sheriff Todd Brackett on the executive committee, and authority member Peter Lepari was chosen to serve on the committee.
If re-elected as Chairman and Vice Chairman after an amendment, Bond and McPhee will remain in their respective positions, as well as executive committee members automatically.
New to the authority, recently elected Sagadahoc Sheriff Joel Merry sat on the authority last week. Merry replaced Westrum after he resigned to assume the jail position.
Also newly appointed authority member Sherry Watson was present for the monthly session.
