Rising jail costs strain Maine county budgets

Rising jail costs strain Maine county budgets

It’s well past 8 p.m. in the Penobscot County Courthouse in Bangor. Members of the county’s budget committee are growing frustrated with the task at hand: trimming down an already lean proposed county budget. “This has become so convoluted and confusing,” said District 1 Councilor Ellen Campbell. “I don’t feel I can vote on any of it with any kind of knowledge or confidence.” This year, the committee is dealing with a roughly $7 million deficit …