A discussion of jail budgets and rulemaking authority took center stage at Tuesday’s meeting of the Lincoln County Commissioners.

Sagadahoc County Sheriff Joel Merry, who is also chairman of Maine’s Board of Corrections, attended the meeting with Lincoln County Sheriff Todd Brackett and Ryan Thornell, the board’s executive director, to provide an update on the board’s efforts over the past several months.

On Friday, Aug. 29, the board of corrections submitted its biennial budget request to the governor’s office. That initial request included $2 million in funding for fiscal year 2015 and $4.4 million in operating costs and $1.3 million of capital improvement funding for fiscal year 2016. The fiscal year 2017 request totaled $7.8 million, with $6.5 million devoted to operations and $1.3 million for capital improvements.

A new public law enacted May 1, 2014, when the legislature overrode a gubernatorial veto, gives the Board of Corrections the authority to establish a formula for funding programs and services for county jails so that essential programs and resources are ensured.

The new law grants administrative rulemaking authority to the Board of Corrections so that they can better address budgeting and funding for the 15 jails in Maine’s 16 counties.

The Board of Corrections has created committees tasked with finalizing rules for the funding formula as soon as possible. Work of individual committees will be sent to the Standards Committee, chaired by Lincoln County Sheriff Todd Brackett, which will review the proposed rules and report out to the Board of Corrections.

It is expected that this work will move quickly, but Brackett cautioned, “We will prioritize. Not all rules can be completed by January 1, 2015.”

Commissioners also stressed the importance of the board’s communications with Maine’s legislature, citing the concern that going forward some legislators may not be returning and new members may not be aware of ongoing issues with jail funding in Maine.

They were quickly reassured by Sheriff and Corrections Board Chairman Merry that, “We will continue to educate the legislature about the system.”