ALFRED – York County Sheriff Philip Cote, looking to ease overcrowding at the county jail in Alfred, has proposed leasing space for up to 70 inmates at the Cumberland County Jail in Portland.

Overcrowding was cited as a factor in a Feb. 4 riot at the York County Jail in which inmates smashed televisions, set fires and flooded cellblocks.

Cote wants to station York County corrections officers at the Portland jail, a plan that Cumberland County Sheriff Mark Dion said would reduce the $65-a-day cost that York County now pays for each inmate it sends to the 450-bed jail in Portland.

Other aspects of the plan, including who will provide medical and other essential services – and the cost – have yet to be determined.

“[Transporting inmates is] a huge shell game,” Dion said Wednesday. “We need a regional approach. Maybe we need to take the first step and demonstrate that.”

Dion said he and Cote may present their plan to their respective county commissioners within the next month.

Under an existing contract, York County can house up to 15 inmates at Cumberland County. But Dion said a staff shortage that has left his jail with 41 vacant jobs may force him to terminate that contract.

A Portland jail pod that has been housing juveniles during a renovation at the Maine Youth Center will become available in November.

Cote said as many as 70 prisoners could be sent to Cumberland County.

“There’s a lot of logistical problems [to be worked out],” Cote said. “We would have to bring in corrections officers and it presents some union issues. And we have to talk about programs and services.”

Cote said other options under consideration include housing convicted prisoners out of state and adding a prefabricated modular jail unit inside the razor wire-fenced perimeter on Route 4.

In the meantime, Cote said he may order a partial lockdown at the jail as a way to control tensions linked to overcrowding.

“We’ll read them the riot act and make it clear what the rules are,” Cote said. “We’ve talked to the corrections officers and [will] make sure the inmates are controlled in a unified, consistent way.”

Voters last November approved a $20 million jail construction bond, but bids came in too high and were rejected last week by the Board of Commissioners. In the meantime, York County has been sending inmates to jails as distant as Aroostook and Hancock counties.