Associated Press
FARMINGTON, Maine — A top State Board of Corrections official says the Maine county jail system is facing a $2.5 million budget shortfall this year.
The comment from executive director Ryan Thornell came in response to a decision by Franklin County Commissioners on Tuesday to reject a $50,000 increase in its assessment from the state.
Thornell said the county’s reduced payment is the least of its problems in light of the $2.5 million shortfall, which stems from a series of revenue problems, including a projected $500,000 decline in payments by the federal government for federal inmates held in county jails.
The Morning Sentinel reports that Thornell says the counties have little alternative than to engage in deficit spending to run the state’s 15 county jails.