County officials criticize plan by state for jail consolidation

Maine Governor John Baldacci's plan for the state to take over control of all 15 county jails on July 1 of this year has met with widespread criticism from county officials and sheriffs throughout the state. In Washington County, both Sheriff Donnie Smith and Chris Gardner, chairman of the county commissioners, have voiced skepticism about whether the plan will realize promised tax savings or improve services to those incarcerated.

Asked how the plan will benefit Washington County in particular, Sheriff Smith says, "I don't think it will. The state is running a deficit, and we came in under budget." He adds, "I think we will lose jobs, and we will still be paying the bill."

Commissioner Gardner, who has worked as a police officer in Eastport, is familiar with the budget and the workings of the local jail. "I just don't think that centralized jail operations across the state, in any way, shape or form, are going to offer any more economy of efficiencies than what we have in our operations now." Gardner also points out that "the counties have to operate within the bounds of LD 1 [a state law that limits the increase in municipal and county budgets]. The state does not have to conform to any type of restrictions that LD 1 puts on the counties."

Smith had been working since he became sheriff in January 2007 with a local committee to build a shared facility to house a new county jail as well as replace the aging state prison facility in Bucks Harbor. Discussions with state authorities came to an end when the governor announced his plan to take over the jail system. "I believe resource sharing is the best way to go," says Smith. A jail facility and a state correctional facility, located in the same place but operated separately, could share a variety of services, from food and laundry service to mental health care and substance abuse counseling and treatment. "Similar to the agreement I reached with the state police, we could share the structure and many of the resources. I oppose losing local control; I don't object to local, county and state working together. I would share resources because that saves on duplication, and it is working so well with the state police." In the past year, the sheriff has been able to provide more services for jail inmates, especially in the areas of substance abuse care and counseling, through partnerships with local organizations, at no additional cost to taxpayers.

"We are very much in agreement with the sheriff. We have great people in charge running our department C Donnie, Chief Deputy Michael St. Louis, Captain Gross, who has been the [jail] administrator for years. They are the experts at running the jail," says Gardner. "County jails are being run within a system, where they are staying within their budgets, staying within LD 1, and are offering that reassurance to taxpayers that prices can't go too far out of control."

Gardner also is not a fan of the another proposal recently presented to state lawmakers that was sponsored by the Maine Sheriffs' Association and Maine County Commissioners' Association. "I don't think that makes much sense, another level of government, this jail authority board. The plan will cost $1.4 million to administer, according to them, plus they are going to ask for another million dollars up front. I don't know how adding cost is going to save the taxpayer money."

Gardner concludes by saying, "If they show C prove C they are going to save the taxpayers money, then by all means, they can have the Washington County Jail. But they have to prove the plan is going to save money, and by that I don't mean it will cut state taxes and raise county taxes. You are not going to take it out of one pocket instead of another and call it a tax break." He adds, "At the end of the day, the responsibility of the Washington County commissioners is to the Washington County taxpayers."