County commissioners are opposing the LePage administration's proposed changes to Maine's system that helps the unemployed get jobs and companies find employees.

Maine's four Local Workforce Investment Boards provide job search and training services through adult, dislocated worker and youth programs. The boards use federal Workforce Investment Act funds to administer those programs.

At the heart of the debate is the governor's plan to replace those four boards with one state-wide board, which would work directly with eight chambers of commerce in Maine. A law (LD 1874) signed by Gov. Paul LePage on April 12 renames the former Maine Jobs Council to the State Workforce Investment Board, but the plan to eliminate the four workforce boards needs approval from the U.S. Department of Labor. 

Coastal Counties Workforce Board Executive Director Michael Bourret is opposed to the plan. He said the current local workforce boards could work with those chambers of commerce without the governor’s proposed restructuring. Coastal Counties is one of four nonprofits that oversees implementation of the federal Workforce Investment Act; its region stretches from York to Waldo county. 

If the restructuring part of the governor's plan is approved, Bourret said this action would take local control out of the equation. While the plan seeks to involve more from the business community through chambers of commerce, he said it only serves to pay “lip service to the business community,”  whose roles would be reduced to input and advisory only.

In a letter from Coastal Counties Workforce Board to the state, Commissioner Lynn Martin said that the governor's plan did not adequately demonstrate a need to change the current system. 

“It consolidates the revenue stream in Augusta,” commissioner William Blodgett said. “This is what it's been – consistent with all programs, is to just have it in Augusta to increase the revenue there, which can be spent however they see fit. That's the bottom line.”

Lincoln County Commissioner Sheridan Bond said, “My position is, if it isn't broke, why are they trying to muddy the waters? I disagree with (the new plan) and I think (the current system has) been working out fine so far.”

The text of the plan argues that not nearly enough money, 20 percent of the federal funds, is spent on jobs training in Maine. Bourret said jobs training is a nation-wide issue and funding from the Workforce Investment Act alone will not solve this problem. He said Coastal Counties actually spends 30-35 percent of the federal funds on training.

“You can certainly make some distinctions between boards as to who is performing better, but the range that I'm showing you here is pretty much what happens nationally,” he said during a recent presentation to local commissioners.

“This is not outlandish and certainly not criminal as the governor has characterized it.”

Bourret acknowledged the current system is not perfect; federal legislation restricts the reach of local boards and he said more could be done to provide additional training opportunities for current workers. This is compounded by the fact that the LePage administration eliminated funding for the Governor's Training Initiative last year, Bourret said.

Lincoln County Commissioner William Blodgett questioned why, if LePage wanted more training, his administration would eliminate remaining funds for the Governor's Training Initiative. “That's not consistent,” he said.

In a public comment to Chairman of the State Workforce Investment Board Fred Webber, Bourret illustrated numerous problems he saw with the governor's plan, one chief issue being the plan fails to demonstrate how the state would save money.

Out of 82 comments sent to the state, 17 were in favor of the plan, according to Bourret. 

Sande Updegraph of the Freeport Economic Development Corporation favored the governor's plan: “The concept seems reasonable, logical and designed to have a more direct positive impact on workforce development by streamlining the structure.” Updegraph recommended the state chambers not be the only conveyors for the business community.

Mel Clarrage of Westbrook also wrote in regarding his support for the plan: “The large membership of the Chambers of Commerce can ensure that we receive increased feedback on the existing skill gap,” he said.

Maine Governor's Commission on Disability and Employment Vice Chair Avery Olmstead of Old Town supported the plan as well, saying that the state needs fresh approaches to help get people with disabilities into gainful employment.

To read all of the comments and the plan itself, visit www.maine.gov/swib.