Members of the criminal justice and appropriations committees have been scouring budget lines to fund it, despite the fact they have spent weeks voicing the now-familiar refrain that there’s just not enough money this year for everything.
The $3.5 million appropriation in question would be distributed to county jails to cover a portion of their operating costs in the next fiscal year. That requirement is included in legislation passed last year that requires the state to pay for any county jail budget increases above 2008 levels.
Governor John Baldacci proposed a sweeping consolidation of the county jails and the state prison system in 2007, but the Legislature altered the proposal after considerable push-back from counties and the Maine Municipal Association.
The compromise bill retained some local control for jails and created a state Board of Corrections, which among other things is charged with finding efficiencies in the jail system.
That board convened late last year and quickly cut the request for state dollars in half, resulting in the $3.5 million request currently under consideration. Sen. Stan Gerzofsky (D-Brunswick) the Senate chairman of the Criminal Justice and Public Safety Committee, said he expects the board to find more savings in the future.
“They haven’t had the time yet to find all the cost savings that we know are there,” Gerzofsky said. “We have to make up this shortfall because the counties can’t do it. The counties understand now that we are fighting for that money.”
As of Monday, the Criminal Justice Committee had identified approximately $1 million of the money needed in the next fiscal year by making reductions in the departments of corrections and public safety.
The rest was found by the Appropriations Committee on Tuesday, which is working long hours, including nights and weekends, in an effort to vote on the 2010-11 budget this week. The committee voted unanimously to include the $3.5 million in the budget.
Sen. Bill Diamond (D-Windham) Senate chairman of the Appropriations Committee, who is also the former chairman of the Criminal Justice Committee when the jail merger law was enacted, said lawmakers are committed to meeting the requirements of the jail consolidation law.
“It’s a priority for many of us,” he said of finding the $3.5 million. “This is cost-savings that goes directly to the property tax payers back home.”
Bob Howe, executive director of the Maine County Commissioners Association, said he has been “fairly optimistic” that the Legislature will find the money, but added that some in county government have not always been so sure.
“Some of them have been skeptical,” said Howe on Monday. “If (the Legislature) comes up with the $3.5 million, then they will have done their part.”
Howe questioned why Gov. John Baldacci didn’t include the funding in his biennial budget proposal, which was unveiled in January, nor in a subsequent change package released last month.
David Farmer, the governor’s deputy chief of staff, said the state budget was proposed before the Board of Corrections had a chance to make its request. When it came to the change package, there was no solution readily available, said Farmer in a written response to questions posed to the governor.
“We did not have a solution for providing that funding, but we have maintained a commitment to work with the committees of jurisdiction in the Legislature to identify possible revenue,” said Farmer.
This same scramble for funding will likely repeat itself next year because the $3.5 million covers only fiscal year 2010. However, there is hope that the Board of Corrections will have found new efficiencies by then.
