ROCKLAND, Maine — The Knox County Commissioners voted unanimously Monday to enter into a contract with Two Bridges Regional Jail to handle inmates.
This will result in layoffs of up to a dozen correctional officers.
The commissioners took their action despite pleas from employees who asked the county leaders to look at other options.
Under the current labor contract with the correctional employees, no severance is mandated. The layoffs are likely to take effect Jan. 1, 2026.
The action came as a result of a budget crisis created by the lack of a quorum on the Budget Committee. Without a quorum, the committee cannot fill vacancies or take action on a budget for 2026. This means the county cannot spend more than spent in 2025.
The budget stalemate is most acute with the jail because it was proposed to see a 22% increase in 2026 before county officials learned they could not proceed with a new budget. There are only four Budget Committee members out of nine seats, and five members are needed to appoint replacements, according to the wording of the voter-approved County Charter.
The commissioners agreed to ask the local delegation of state legislators to submit emergency legislation when they go back into session in January to allow the commissioners to fill the vacant Budget Committee seats. If that is done and legislation approved, the county could have a new budget by March 2026.
But commission Chair Ed Glaser said the county can’t wait to see if legislation is approved. And if the Legislature does approve the change, there is no guarantee the Budget Committee would approve the increased jail budget.
The county employs 41 people at the jail. Seventeen people would be retained to allow the Knox County building to be used as a 72-hour holding facility. Col. James Bailey of the Two Bridges Regional Jail in Wiscasset said Two Bridges could offer jobs to about 13 to 14 of the Knox staff.
This would still result in up to a dozen Knox correctional staff workers losing their jobs after Christmas.
Commissioner March Ratner said the county was between a rock and a hard place with the situation. The Knox jail building is in need of major repairs that will cost millions of dollars. The sheriff said a new jail is needed and that would cost $75 million today and up to $100 million by the time planning, design and construction started. Ratner said the county can’t spend the large increases projected when a better option is available (the agreement with Two Bridges).
Glaser said the county has been working collaboratively with Two Bridges for several years and this is a continuation of that work.
Glaser said he was concerned about families of inmates being able to see their family members who are incarcerated and suggested planning transportation for family members to Wiscasset.
Ratner said he wants current employees to be treated equitably and asked about severance, even though none is mandated by the union contract.
William Doyle, executive director of the labor union that represents Knox correctional officers, asked the commissioners not to contract with Two Bridges. He said this would decimate the experienced, hard-working staff.
He also accused the commissioners of “union busting,” noting Knox workers are represented by a union while Two Bridges workers are not.
Lt. Shawn Wallace said Glaser was aware of the lack of a quorum in April and also said the commission chair should have known the charter inside and out, which would have prevented the budget process being in limbo.
Another corrections officer said it was a slap in the workers’ faces to lay them off around the holidays for reasons beyond their control.
Last week, District Attorney Natasha Irving said the threat of a wrongful death lawsuit from an understaffed jail is far greater than a threat of someone challenging the budget approval. She said the commissioners can appoint members to the Budget Committee in the absence of a quorum.
“The impact could be catastrophic. Lives could be endangered,” Irving said.
This story appears through a media partnership with Midcoast Villager.
