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By SUSAN M. COVER
Staff Writer 10/04/2007

Meeting with the Kennebec Journal and Morning Sentinel editorial board, the governor said he will stand by his county jail takeover proposal and will fight any attempt to weaken the school district consolidation law.

"I've said to people, how many studies do you need about administrative costs?" he said. "I've gotten to a point of saying no, we're not going to tax anymore. We're going to squeeze what we need to squeeze out of administration."

The Democratic governor, nearing the end of his fifth year in office, said the changes he's proposing are major and make people uncomfortable. Still, he said he plans to continue to move these kinds of ideas forward.

Earlier this year, Baldacci called for consolidating school districts from 290 to 26. After months of negotiating, the Legislature passed a bill that calls for the creation of no more than 80 districts. The move is designed to save $36 million.

Baldacci said although the new law needs to be adjusted to address some problem areas, it should not be weakened or slowed.

"I'll be very strongly opposed to any of those changes," he said. "I would seek to veto those kinds of things being done."

Last month, Baldacci announced a plan to have the state Department of Corrections take over the county jail system. He said overcrowding in the state prison system, and some overcrowding in county jails, shows the need for a combined system.

His administration projects $10 million in savings in the first year. By 2015, annual savings will grow to nearly $38 million, according to officials.

Baldacci believes a unified state prison system would provide better services for women, the mentally ill and those with substance abuse issues.

When it comes to tax relief or reform, Baldacci said the Legislature needs to implement his recommendations to cut $10 million from the state budget before he'll come forward with other savings.

He said he's got an agreement with Democratic leaders to find $30 million in savings, but that the initial $10 million must be put in place first.

His proposals to trim $10 million include standardizing lottery agent commissions to save $1.6 million, implementing competitive bidding for therapeutic foster care to save $2 million, and consolidating career centers to save $106,867.

"We have to get some approval on these proposals or we won't be getting off square one," he said.

The Legislature's Appropriations and Financial Affairs Committee will meet again later this month to continue discussions on ways to cut money from the budget. Beyond that, Baldacci said he would propose to "collapse" natural resource agencies to help reduce administrative costs. He did not specify which departments in particular would be consolidated, or whether the changes would be in administration only. In general, the state's natural resource agencies include Marine Resources, Conservation, Inland Fisheries and Wildlife, Agriculture, and Environmental Protection.

Baldacci also believes that a single health purchasing entity could save money for the state.

"The federal government has a unified health plan," he said. "They have different plans for different organizations, but it's under one umbrella."

Susan Cover -- 623-1056

scover@centralmaine.com

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