Penobscot County residents narrowly voted down a ballot referendum to move the county jail out of Bangor by just 60 votes.
In total, 32,591 Penobscot County residents voted against the referendum, according to unofficial results gathered by the Bangor Daily News. The outcome of the vote took days to determine as results from Tuesday’s election trickled in from the county’s smallest communities, which largely voted against the measure.
Springfield, a town east of Lincoln, was the final town to report its results to the BDN along with Kingman and Prentiss townships, with the “no” vote winning by nine votes.
Without approval, the plan to build a new Penobscot County Jail seemingly has to start over from scratch. Penobscot County Commissioners Dan Tremble, David Marshall and Andre Cushing will have to plan for a new location for the jail.
Previous plans had a single-story jail being built in Hampden, where the county had paid $100,000 to hold a plot of land, but now the commissioners will be tasked with finding a location in Bangor. Commissioners for years have discussed plans for a new jail, citing its decrepit state, inability to hold all the inmates brought to the facility and lack of space for needed services.
Hampden voted against the referendum 1,686 to 2,286.
Commissioners previously said they had looked at about a dozen slices of land in Bangor, but none were suitable for their plans. It’s unclear how the county’s plans will change.
Approval to relocate the jail garnered 32,531 votes and had approval in 18 of the more than 60 Penobscot County towns that voted on the measure. The county’s largest communities carried the “yes” vote, with six of the 10 biggest towns approving the move.
Of the next 10 largest municipalities, just four approved the referendum.
The result raises multiple questions, including if the commissioners can bring back the vote to move the facility, how the results will be certified and if a recount can be called for.
County officials are meeting Friday to discuss the results, County Administrator Blair Tinkham said.