Presque Isle is considering hosting a new Aroostook County jail.
The City Council voted at a special Tuesday meeting to create a team that would review eligible land parcels and submit costs and recommendations for council approval.
The move follows a request last week by Aroostook County government for land parcels on which to locate a potential new jail. It’s the latest step in a multiyear process to replace the 1890 jail, which has been deemed obsolete and hasn’t seen renovations in 40 years.
But in 130 years, prices have spiked exponentially: a new jail could cost approximately $112 million. That’s more than Penobscot County expects to pay for its new jail, which is between $73 and $85 million. Consultants said the price could vary with rising construction costs.
The County’s proposal asked for a site within 15 miles of Route 1 between Hodgdon and Caribou. Requests are due Sept. 28.
The city isn’t committing to anything yet, City Manager Sonja Eyler said.
“The central question is whether a specific proposal advances public safety and regional access without shifting unfunded costs or shifting Presque Isle’s development priorities,” Eyler said.
City officials will examine such questions as whether moving the jail from Houlton to a more central location would benefit law enforcement, would increase access to medical support for inmates and families, and whether Presque Isle would see property, traffic and other impacts if a jail comes in, she said.
The city manager referenced a consultant report from 2025 that said the jail lacks adequate booking, medical and special housing space. That report did not examine potential crime impact, officer hours or city service costs, Eyler said.
“There were indications from some agencies located to the north that a number of arrests are regularly not made in an effort to reduce trips to the current jail,” the 2025 assessment report noted.
“The question is, would an officer not arrest just not to transport someone to Houlton,” Presque Isle Police Chief Chris Hayes said. “I can tell you that would never, never happen.”
But they would use other options, which could include bail or mental health care, he said.
Presque Isle charged 464 people and transported roughly 60 to the Houlton jail, Hayes said. That amounts to 12% to 13%. He estimated the department could save between $12,000 and $13,000 by not transporting to Houlton.
To questions of how a new jail would be funded, Aroostook County Commissioner Paul Underwood pointed to bonds. Some aspects would be eligible for federal grants, such as medical components, but most money would come from an anticipated 30-year-bond.
The project will raise county taxes and residents will pay more, but a new facility is needed, he said.
“The jails are often the first interdiction with mental health care [and] we just don’t have the facilities. Our medical room is nothing more than a closet that we’ve converted,” Underwood said. “We’re very aware of the burden it’s going to put on the communities.”
Commissioners are studying cost reductions and successful build projects at Two Bridges Regional Jail in Wiscasset and Somerset County Jail, Underwood said.
Rising taxes are unavoidable no matter where the jail is, Councilor Craig Green said.
“It’s not a new issue when you have a jail built in the 1800s,” he said.
Eyler did not specify land parcels being considered. Councilors will meet Monday and likely submit a request for proposals on a specific land parcel, she said.