EAST MADISON — The top administrator at the Somerset County Jail was relieved of his duties Tuesday in a move to cut jail spending for the coming year.

The administrator, Maj. David C. Allen, was hired in July 2007. He no longer is in charge of day-to-day operations at the jail in East Madison, according to an email sent to county employees by interim county administrator Earla J. Haggerty.

The email’s contents, obtained Tuesday night by the Morning Sentinel, was confirmed by Chief Deputy Dale Lancaster, of the Somerset County Sheriff’s Department.

Lancaster said Sheriff Barry DeLong made the decision to not fund the jail administrator’s position in the 2013-14 jail budget.

DeLong, who is expected back soon from a short leave of absence he took for health reasons, will assume the job of jail administrator, Lancaster said.

“Budget administrators always find the need to reduce personnel costs in budgets difficult and painful and Sheriff DeLong’s decision to leave the Jail Administrator’s position unfunded in the (fiscal year) 2014 budget is no exception,” Haggerty said in the email. “Therefore, effective today, Tuesday, February 19th, Dave Allen will not be performing the duties and responsibilities of the Jail Administrator.”

Allen, of Skowhegan, was hired at an annual salary of $60,000, plus benefits, in 2007 as the new county jail was being built on East Madison Road.

Before taking on the Somerset jail job, Allen, 46, was a zone supervisor and corrections officer at the Maine State Prison.

Allen could not be reached for comment Tuesday night.

Doug Harlow — 612-2367
dharlow@centralmaine.com