There have been many letters to the editor about how our county commissioners are looking out for us and our wallets, but the bid opening recently for an expansion of the jail is a great example of the opposite.

The bids ranged from $784,700 to $937,500 while officials had expected them to come in between $125,000 to $250,000. This lack of understanding has got to stop at the county level as we cannot afford it. While the county is a small part of our town budgets, it is one of the reasons why towns have to keep raising property taxes.

Some seem to welcome this, but, from what I am hearing in our communities, people need a break and want a fresh look at how we are using their hard-earned money.

Jeremy Pare

Manchester

(Editor’s note: The writer is a candidate for Kennebec County commissioner)