Cumberland County jail running ‘abnormally’; staffing and outside‑housing declines reshape jail budget

County finance staff told the Cumberland County Finance Committee on July 13 that the Cumberland County jail is operating “abnormally,” with significantly reduced inmate counts, falling outside contracts and continuing corrections staffing shortages that materially changed revenue and expense patterns for the current year and the coming budget.

Alex Kimball, deputy manager of finance and administration, summarized the problems: “It is running down. I think the latest number was we are down 60 corrections officers,” Kimball said. He told the committee that wages and payroll lines were coming in well under budget because shifts were not being filled; at the same time revenues tied to housing outside inmates have fallen or disappeared, producing a large positive variance to the current-year fund balance while creating near‑term uncertainty for future years.

Why it matters: The county typically budgets to the jail as if operations are normal; staff said they are keeping contract positions and budgeted full‑time wages in place to avoid creating a “cliff” in future years that would force abrupt tax increases or program cuts. The committee heard that several revenue lines have dropped: U.S. Marshals housing has trended “south,” ICE placements are effectively zero, and work‑release revenue is also at zero for much of the year. Kimball and County Manager Jim Gailey warned that those declines, combined with the state funding formula (the board of corrections payment is tied to a statewide share), require cautious use of the county’s accumulated fund balance.

Supporting facts and figures: Kimball said the wages line – a large component of the jail budget – was significantly under budget for the year because many shifts were open and unfilled. He also told the committee that the county’s share under the board of corrections arrangement had fallen from the budgeted share of roughly 20% to about 18.7% of state inmates, a factor that reduced expected state payments. Kimball said the county is planning to use about $700,000 of prior-year fund balance for the coming year’s jail budget to smooth operations while staff continue recruiting and while broader structural questions are resolved.

Staffing and recruitment: Committee members asked about vacancies and trends. The group discussed earlier vacancy counts (Kimball and the committee recalled roughly 68 openings with 64 of them in corrections during an earlier point in the hiring cycle). Kimball said the exodus of corrections staff had slowed to a “trickle,” and recruitment efforts are under way, but “it is a very, very, very slow process to hire our corrections officer.” Gailey and Kimball noted that promotional positions (sergeants, lieutenants) are generally filled more consistently and that the primary shortage is at the corrections officer level.

Medical, contracted services and operating costs: Kimball explained that inmate medical and medication costs are a growing line item — the jail functions in many respects as a mini health provider for inmates and pays directly for pharmaceuticals and contract medical staffing. He said contracted medical services have required multiple contract increases and that certain medications (for example, Hepatitis-related treatment cited in committee discussion) can be expensive.

Budget approach and risks: Finance staff described a budgeting approach that leaves full‑position budget authority in place for the jail (rather than reducing the authorized payroll to match current, reduced staffing) to avoid an unmanageable jump later if operations return to normal. That approach also preserves the county’s ability to hire when staffing becomes available. Kimball and Gailey warned, however, that the situation creates multiple future paths the county must monitor, including reopening the community corrections center, a potential state lease of that space, or even a broader regional solution if staffing and population trends persist.

Ending: The committee received the presentation as an informational briefing. Staff said they will continue to watch Marshals and DOC placements, recruit for corrections positions and return to the committee during the formal budget process with updated numbers.