The commission is expected to meet Thursday to finalize its budget recommendations.
By John Plestina
Special to the Sun Journal

AUBURN – County commissioners considered a proposed 9.67 percent budget increase for the Androscoggin County Jail in two meetings over the past week.

After Monday’s budget session, the jail budget was reduced by $5,800. Sheriff Ronald Gagnon’s original request for $3,515,349 is $309,881 higher than the 2003 appropriation.

After the adjustments were made, the bulk of the increase remains in the $3,383,445 operations budget. It is a 7.95 percent increase over 2003. The capital request of $126,100 reflects a 91.65 percent over the $65,800 appropriation for the current year.

Adjustments made by the commissioners were the elimination of $7,400 to make a part-time cook full time and a reduction of $1,500 from a $3,000 line item to upgrade furniture and fixtures in the training room. The $8,904 reduced from the operations budget was offset by $3,100 in increases that were decided upon following discussions between Gagnon and the commissioners. The increases are $2,500 for cleaning and disinfecting supplies and $600 for meals. A $3,000 line item for a two-door cooler was transferred from the expense to the revenue side of the budget because federal funds became available to pay for it.

The commission is expected to meet Thursday to finalize its budget recommendations to the Budget Committee, said County Clerk Patricia Fournier. The budget will meet weekly later this year to address the budgets of all departments.

Repairs account for a considerable amount of the increases in the budget.

Proposed increases in the operations budget include the following:

• Salaries and wages, $1,980,079 requested, up 13.7 percent.

• Holiday pay, $79,200 requested, up 29.8 percent due to a calculation error in the 2003 budget.

• Overtime pay, $180,000 requested, up 10 percent.

• Meals, $3,400 requested, up 36 percent for meals for staff and inmates while away or on transport and for meal reimbursement for employees as required by the collective bargaining agreement.

• Natural gas, $6,700 requested, up 17.5 percent because 2003 usage is over the anticipated amount.

• Equipment repairs, $13,000 requested, up 85.7 percent includes repairs of door locks, laundry and refrigeration equipment.

• Advertising for corrections employees, $3,000 requested, down 40 percent.

• Fuel for heating, $55,000 requested, up 14.6 percent.

• Medical and medicines, $100,000 requested, up 17.65 percent due to a significant rise in the cost of medication.

The increase in salaries and wages includes contractual increases, the upgrading of a part-time cook to full time at a cost of about $8,000 and the addition of a 53rd payroll week as required at a cost of about $37,500.

Capital requests include $71,000 for building improvements including replacement of carpeting in the jail visiting room and in several offices, a sprinkler system in the medical office, replacement of smoke detectors as required by a fire inspection, an upgrade of the air handling system due partly to a mold buildup ($50,000 of the $71,000). There are also capital requests for $1,500 to purchase three Glock 40 caliber semiautomatic handguns, $21,400 for furniture and fixtures, $18,200 for the second installment on the three-year lease-purchase of two jail transport vehicles and $14,000 for computer software and hardware upgrades.