BANGOR – Running short on time to spend federal homeland security funds, a Penobscot County review committee on Thursday approved returning more than $230,000 of the funds to the state to hold, but with the provision that the county retain control over the funding.

If approved by the state and federal authorities, the measure would allow the county to sidestep a rapidly approaching deadline of Nov. 30 by which it has to spend the remainder of its 2003 funding from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.

Penobscot County has about $365,000 left and had planned to submit a memorandum of understanding with the Maine Emergency Management Agency – which has oversight of the funds – to set aside $237,500 for state communications projects that would benefit the county.

The remainder of the funding, $127,500, would be set aside by the county to be used to help fix the county radio system, including radio antennas on the Penobscot County Courthouse that are causing frequencies to bleed over and interfere with radio transmissions.

In a related issue, public safety officials have expressed an interest in working with Penobscot County to solve common problems with aging radio communications systems.

“I think it’s our one chance to mix our dollars with others to benefit the greater good,” Penobscot County Sheriff Glenn Ross said during a meeting of the Penobscot County Homeland Security Review Committee.

Ross acknowledged that there was a lot of information that still wasn’t known, including what the cost of repairs would be and how the state plans to handle the funds, and that some good faith was needed in trusting the state.”There’s a little bit of a leap of faith here,” Ross said.

Some of the six committee members present weren’t ready to make that leap. “You’re asking us to vote on a totally unknown,” Newport Town Manager James Ricker said.

Bangor Police Chief Don Winslow and Hampden Public Safety Director Joe Rogers expressed similar concerns and wanted assurances that the state couldn’t redirect the funds away from the county and its municipalities. The proposal put before them included a provision that would require the state to turn over any investments it made if the state abandoned the communications project or if the project doesn’t meet the needs of the county.

Committee members wanted more, including at least a full voting membership on any oversight board, if not the ability to determine how the money is spent. Rogers suggested that the review committee keep control of the funds and disburse money as improvements are made and not before.

With no plan in place, some committee members were skeptical that the state would make good on the intent of any memorandum, with Rogers saying that a stronger county and community presence would provide needed assurances.

“It will certainly give us the comfort level that our money is being spent where we want it to,” Rogers said.