ALFRED — The  current “going rate” to lease county jail beds  to Maine counties where jails are overcrowded is far less than the $108 per night York County Commissioners set a year ago.

York County Sheriff William King told commisisoners at their meeting last week that the county could reap some revenue if commissioners were willing to accept a lower rate, as other counties have done.

“We may be missing an opportunity,” the sheriff said.

King told the five-member board that Penobscot County pays $65 per inmate per day to lease beds in other Maine counties, a figure he described as drastically low. But King suggested negotiating with sending counties, which could see York County agree to a lesser daily rate if the sending county paid its inmates’ medical costs or other costs associated with housing inmates.

It isn’t a decision commissioners seem likely to make in a hurry. 

York County had settled on the $108 per night rate in conjunction with some other counties, after three meetings about 2 years ago, Commisisoner Mike Cote said.

Cote said after the figure was agreed upon, “unfortunately everyone else dropped their price.”

“They stiffed us,” he said. “The bidding wars have gotten ridiculous and I don’t want to sell us short.”

Still, Cote said he is not totally against what King was suggesting.

King was among those attending the meetings with Cumberland County officials and representatives from at least one other county.

“The meeetings and the discussion about fixing a price exceeded my comfort level,” King said Tuesday.

King said the jail census is hovering around 200 at the moment, and so has room to take in some inmates from other county jails. While $65 per bed per night is far less than the $108 York County Commisisoners had set, still, housing 10 to 15  inmates from other Maine counties could bring in $650 to $975 per day, without figuring in expenses.

“I’m trying to save money, to take advantage of an opportunity because we have a  low count,” said King on Tuesday. “I don’t know why we wouldn’t want to take advantage of this.”

County Manager Greg Zinser said the uncertainty surrounding how much money the county jails will receive from the state pays a role. This year York County budgeted $1.7 million but received $2 million — which he said may allow the county to pay for what it cut out of the budget the prior year. 

He acknowledged there could be agreements between counties that allow a sending county to pay for other costs associated with sheltering inmates — thus lowering the daily fee.

“I think this will be an issue in the next Legislature, but that doesn’t mean something can’t be worked out,” Zinser  said.

Commissioner Marston Lovell, who won’t be around for the next discussion on the issue because he’ll have taken up his duties as Saco mayor  by then, said any decision should be made on a firm financial basis.

The discussion is expected to continue.

— Senior Staff Writer Tammy Wells can be contacted at 324-4444 (local call in Sanford) or 282-1535, ext. 327 or [email protected].