AUBURN — With the fate of the county jails still hung up in the Maine Legislature, the Androscoggin County commissioners drafted a letter during their workshop Wednesday to the county delegation describing the financial impact on local taxpayers if the state drops all funding for the jails.

The issue is so critical that commissioners even suggested they may tell the state that the county no longer wants to run the jails.

If the state ends funding, county taxpayers would have to pick up the expected $2 million to $3 million shortfall.

“In my opinion, today, we’re safer to say we don’t want any part of this,” County Commission Chairwoman Beth Bell said. “I don’t think we’ve talked enough about what that looks like. What does it look like if we no longer have a county jail? We cannot do this. We cannot pass this on to the taxpayers. When do we say, ‘No. No.'”

The letter written during the workshop provides the 20-member delegation with detailed information on how badly the county would be hurt if all state funding is cut, and how taxpayers would be affected in each of the county’s 14 municipalities.

The shortage in Androscoggin County is expected to reach $2 million. That amount does not include payment to board prisoners at other facilities because of overcrowding, which would add at least another $1 million to the shortfall.

Jails with extra space would gain by charging a proposed $108 per prisoner per day. Last week, for example, Androscoggin County had an average of 41 prisoners held at other facilities, which would have cost the county $4,428 per day.

“Androscoggin is one of three counties that will take a major hit,” Commissioner Alfreda Fournier said. “The counties that are not going to take a hit and make money off this are not going to worry. This is more than we can handle as taxpayers.”

“Our delegation has to be firm,” Commissioner Ron Chicoine said.

Commissioners said Kennebec and Penobscot also would suffer a major financial hit.

Lewiston, which pays 28.38 percent of the county budget, would see its property taxes increase by $567,500. The amount would rise to $851,400 if boarding fees are included. Turner, meanwhile, which pays 5.93 percent of the budget, would see taxes rise $118,600 or $177,900, respectively.

The county is facing a funding crisis because the jail consolidation plan, in place since 2008, is in tatters. The Board of Corrections lacks the support of Gov. Paul LePage, who has refused to appoint members to the board to fill its many vacancies and refuses to increase funding.

The LePage administration said it doesn’t care what the Legislature decides, but it must be all state or all county control. That control includes funding.

One potential fix — LD 186, “An Act to to Reverse Jail Consolidation” — is stuck in committee in Augusta. Competing amendments that rewrote the original bill have divided the panel. Both amendments include some state funding that would provide a softer landing for the counties.