Lincoln County Sheriff Todd Brackett said Tuesday, an Oct. 22 meeting at the statehouse, preceded by a meeting with Department of Corrections Commissioner Randall Liberty, will focus on jail funding. The counties are concerned about the state’s new sentencing guideline that lets inmates be held in county jails for two consecutive nine-month sentences, plus another six months, without the state saying how it will be funded.

The change is so counties have better programming than the state facilities and in most cases, have room to spare, Brackett said. “All that may be true, but the state should pay for it, because until recently, anyone held for more than nine months would go to the Department of Corrections.” The increase in sentences from six months to nine months in the 1980s was originally covered by the Community Corrections Act, but even those funds never met the costs fully, he said.  Brackett said sheriffs had proposed a bill, LD 973, sponsored by Charlotte Warren (D) – Hallowell, to stabilize jail funding. It was carried over to the next session in May. Warren is the House Chair of the Criminal Justice and Public Safety Committee.

The Sheriff’s Office received a $75,000 grant for supplemental overtime costs for rural patrol; got permission to seek a price for a new server to maintain their videos from the dashcams; and received approval to request bids for an SUV and a van.

A discussion about a possible change to the Alternative Sentencing Program, currently held at Wavus and and administered by Maine Pretrial, focused on whether MPT would continue to offer it or the sheriff’s office would either try to do it or find a new partner. Brackett announced a new program run by the Addiction Resource Center at Medomak High School, which provides support to students who may have a relative experiencing addiction at home. 

The Emergency Management Agency received a federal emergency management grant covering half the cost of running the agency, at $113,777, and a Homeland  Security grant for $79,155.20. The EMA will be recognizing Alzheimer’s Awareness Month in November by lighting teal lamps at the front of the courthouse.

The Spirit of America ceremony was changed to Nov. 7 at 4 p.m. because invitations did not go out on time, County Administrator Carrie Kipfer said. She announced mandatory workplace violence training for county employees on Oct. 21 and 22 at the Communications Center. Half of the employees will attend one day and half the other day. Kipfer has granted permission for daffodils to be planted at the courthouse to honor the 100th anniversary of women’s suffrage.  Commissioners also approved a $9,479.89 purchase order for Ransom Consulting, working on a brownfield site on Water Street in Wiscasset.