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Kennebec County commissioner urges Gardiner officials to press legislators on unfunded jail medical mandate
Summary
Kennebec County Commissioner Joe Petroski told the Gardiner City Council that a state mandate requiring medical, mental-health and addiction services in county jails is creating large costs that counties are being asked to absorb and urged municipal officials to contact legislators to seek more state funding (LD 719).
Kennebec County Commissioner Joe Petroski urged the Gardiner City Council on March 19 to press state legislators for more funding to cover a statutory mandate that requires county jails to provide on‑site medical, dental, mental‑health and addiction services.
Petroski said the mandate is expensive and is pushing county budgets upward. “That’s a real dilemma. I’m sitting here, I don’t wanna raise the taxes,” Petroski said during the council’s meeting. He told the council the program commonly called the MAT program requires counties to provide doctors and nurses in jail and costs “at a minimum, $1,500,000 a year” in his county’s experience.
Why it matters: Petroski said state funding so far falls short of estimated needs and that counties are left with steep tax increases unless the Legislature provides more support. Mayor Patricia Hart told Petroski the county portion of Gardiner’s tax bill has risen 57% over two years; she called that level of increase “not sustainable.”
Details from the meeting: Petroski said the bill filed at the Legislature on this issue is being discussed as LD 719 and estimated total statewide need at below $20 million. He said an earlier state allocation of $4 million was far less than counties’ reported costs and that Kennebec County estimates receiving as little as $400,000 of what it needs under current proposals. “We are giving them the right medical treatment. Very costly, but it’s worth it,” Petroski said, describing programs that also provide aftercare on release.
Petroski asked municipal officials to contact their legislators, consider passing supporting resolutions and otherwise make a unified push for fuller state funding. Several councilors pressed him on whether sheriffs and county governments had worked to share costs; Petroski said sheriffs have improved cooperation but that legislative action is the framework for any fiscal relief.
What was not decided: The meeting recorded no formal action by the Gardiner City Council on this topic; Petroski’s remarks were informational and a request for municipal advocacy. Councilors discussed drafting or signing a county‑level letter supporting specific bills; the council later agreed to circulate a draft letter to area select boards and town managers.
Ending: Petroski left the council with speaking materials and contact information for legislators and budget committee members; councilors said they would review a draft letter and consider whether the city should join a broader request to the Legislature.
