ALFRED — The proposed York County budget has been tweaked to add a $150,000 increase from York County taxpayers over the original proposal.

The additional funding comes as the county struggles to help fill an anticipated jail deficit next year, even as it struggles to erase this year’s projected $700,000 in red ink.

In 2015, the Legislature allowed counties to raise the amount they are required by law to pay for jail operations by 3 percent. York County Jail’s operational expense is capped at $8.3 million. York County was one of 10 counties that didn’t raise the capped amount for this year’s budget, but it is proposing to do so for next year.

There are other changes in the jail portion of the spending plan as well. York County Sheriff Bill King is expected to reduce jail personnel costs by $223,000 in the fiscal year that begins July 1. It is unclear if that is to be made by not filling current vacancies or by eliminating positions.

On Wednesday, the county’s budget committee will begin its examination of the $19.6 million budget, of which about $16. 3 million – approximately 83 percent – is funded by the county’s 29 municipalities. The public meeting is set for 6:30 p.m. at the York County government building.

If the budget is approved as presented, some communities will pay less, while others will pay more.

Biddeford would pay about $12,000 less, at $1.2 million; Kennebunk, $37,000 more, at $1.2 mil- lion; Kennebunkport, $49,000 more, at $1 million; Old Orchard Beach, $26,000 more, at $849,000; Saco, $34,000 more, at $1.1 million; Sanford, about $5,000 less, at $731,000; and Waterboro, $3,700 more, at $381,000.

As a whole, the overall budget calls for:

• Using $100,000 from the district attorney’s office administrative supervision fund to offset the creation of new positions, including increasing a part-time legal secretary to full-time.

• Adding a new victim witness advocate (a position partly funded by grants), and a new assistant trial manager.

• Adding a new detective at the York County Sheriff ’s Office and a half-time clerk to assist with clerical and evidence management.

• Moving a part-time maintenance position to full-time at the sheriff ’s office.

As to the jail, the budget calls for an increase of $600,000 for overtime costs for fiscal year 2017 in recognition that last year’s overtime was set at $400,000, a figure officials said they knew was too low.

The jail budget calls for $343,000 coming from operational changes that were discussed in a closed session on April 13. King said he will do all he can to make sure that happens, based on the average daily jail population. But, he added, he won’t put the staff at risk.

“We closed one unit and had a disturbance,” said King, adding that the unit was reopened.

Commissioner Richard Dutremble said the $343,000 figure is a projection, and with regular monitoring, the sheriff should be able to see red flags and make adjustments.

Attorney Amy Fairfield, a member of the jail’s board of visitors, said jail personnel should not be cut, and pointed out landscaping projects and $750,000 in building improvements at the government building.

“Why are you cutting personnel from the jail and putting people at risk when you’re having landscaping done and the building improved?” she asked. “I just don’t get it.”

— Senior Staff Writer Tammy Wells can be contacted at 324-4444 (local call in Sanford) or 282-1535, ext. 327 or twells@journaltribune.com.