By Shira Schoenberg
The concord Monitor
CONCORD, NH -- Corrections Commissioner William Wrenn warned House Finance Committee members that he could be forced to close the state prison in Berlin, if proposed budget cuts become law.
In a letter to Rep. William Belvin, an Amherst Republican who chairs the House Finance Committee division dealing with the Department of Corrections, Wrenn warned that the only way to deal with a $4.4 million cut in personnel, the equivalent of 45 employees, would be to close the Northern New Hampshire Correctional Facility.
“I cannot cut 45 positions from other areas without creating serious problems throughout my agency,” Wrenn wrote.
But Finance Committee members said closing the prison was not their intent and said Wrenn never raised the possibility during two days of committee discussions on the corrections budget. Finance Committee Chairman Ken Weyler, a Kingston Republican, said he believes the department could curb abuses of overtime and holiday pay. It could look at specific programs and make organizational changes, he said.
“A small percentage was reduced,” Weyler said. “Let him work with what he has.”
The Department of Corrections has a budget of $225.6 million this biennium, of which nearly all comes from the general fund, which is paid for by tax dollars. Gov. John Lynch, in his proposed budget, would have given the Department of Corrections a slight increase. The Finance Committee subcommittee is recommending a $5.9 million cut.
In its recommendations, the subcommittee recommended abolishing five specific positions: the public information officer, a coordinator who ensures compliance with a particular court settlement, a pharmacy position, and two positions in finance and human resources. Many other areas of the budget would see across- the-board cuts of 5 percent - including the line item for personnel.
Belvin said the subcommittee spent two days on the corrections budget. “This was a really difficult process for us all,” he said. “You’re dealing with fundamental circumstances of safety for the public, safety for incarcerated individuals.”
The committee asked all department heads to suggest options for additional reductions, beyond what the governor proposed. But committee members said there was particular tension between them and Wrenn.
Belvin told the Finance Committee yesterday that while most agency heads brought in ideas for cuts and consequences, “that was typically not the case with corrections.”
“There was dawning realization on both sides of the discussion as to the degree the commissioner was willing to offer constructive suggestions,” Belvin added. “The committee had to fall back on its own best resources in making decisions.”
Committee member Lee Quandt, an Exeter Republican, said Wrenn came in with the attitude that “he didn’t want to cut anything,” so the committee made decisions for him.
Corrections spokesman Jeff Lyons said the department went before the committee to defend the governor’s budget “because it was carefully crafted to allow us to continue performing our core responsibilities.”
Last Thursday, Wrenn wrote to committee members opposing their proposed cuts and arguing that closing the Berlin prison was the only option for making such a large cut to personnel.
“After much review, analysis and discussion, my senior staff and I have determined that the Department cannot continue to operate in a safe, effective and efficient manner if the proposed cuts take effect,” Wrenn wrote.
During the last two years, the Corrections Department already closed the Lakes Region prison and laid off 200 staff, Wrenn wrote. Wrenn analyzed the possibilities of shutting down a general population housing unit in the Concord prison; closing transitional housing units in Concord and Manchester; cutting staff from the women’s prison; and cutting vacant positions. In each case, Wrenn concluded he could not cut enough jobs.
Wrenn said the “only logical solution” to meet the committee’s mandate would be to close the Berlin prison and contract with other states for beds in their prisons. The Berlin prison employs 185 people and has 618 inmates.
Lyons said Wrenn did not raise the possibility of the closure during initial discussions with the subcommittee because Wrenn already discussed it with the governor and decided it was “not a viable option to address our budget concerns.”
Belvin declined to comment on the committee’s view of the potential closure. “The role of the Legislature is to try to discern policies that serve the interest of citizens of the state and those who deliver these services, understand some of the risks, then to allocate resources to the management of that agency,” Belvin told the Finance Committee. “I don’t think it is appropriate for the Legislature to try to say how you run Berlin or Goffstown or Concord, but please run it within the resources that are provided.”
Asked by the Monitor about Wrenn’s views on closing the prison, Belvin said, “Commissioner Wrenn is fully capable of formulating an opinion and articulating the same.”
Lt. Paul Cascio, president of a State Employees’ Association chapter in the Department of Corrections, said he was “outraged” at the proposed cuts. “The budget the House is proposing is more than we can really sustain,” Cascio said. “If the governor thought we could cut anything from corrections, he would have put it in his budget.”
Belvin noted that the budget must still go to the Senate. “I’d advise any agency that has issues with the decisions that we’ve made to be vigorous and active in their opinions in another chamber,” he said.
Copyright 2011 Concord Monitor/Sunday Monitor