Board Raises Questions
Published 5:19 pm Thursday, December 6, 2012
CUMBERLAND – County Supervisor Parker Wheeler, District Five, gave a short report on the financial status of Piedmont Regional Jail during the board of supervisor's November meeting. Wheeler is on the board of directors of Piedmont Regional Jail.
He said that the County will most likely have to start contributing to the regional jail in the near future. “We had a free ride for 24 years. And seems like the free ride has to stop.”
The County will have to pay on a percentage basis according to how many prisoners are at the jail, according to Wheeler: “We're like 6.7 percent. I wouldn't even want to be sitting here talking to you about what Prince Edward would have to pay.”
He stated that in the past federal prisoners had “basically, paid the way,” allowing use of the facility to be free for the County.
Unfortunately, federal prisoners are not as plentiful as they were in the past, according to Wheeler. He said the problem is being felt by regional jails throughout Virginia.
He reported that the number of inmates has dropped from around 800 prisoners to about 525: “We're talking about $42, per day, per prisoner, loss of income to the… regional jail.”
He reported that the options to sustain the jail include continuing to looking for more federal prisoners and reducing the size of the jail.
It would cost over $25,000 to reduce the jail's size. Vivian Giles, County attorney and administrator stated that the jail is looking to possibly reduce overhead and staff needs by closing secondary units and using only the main jail.
Wheeler stated that the County would “just have to grin and bear it. We can't sell it.” He pointed out that it would cost more, $55 to $60 a day per prisoner, to send the County's prisoners to a different facility.
Chairman David Meinhard, District Four, inquired whether the change in prison population was due to the new INS facility in Farmville. Wheeler replied in the negative.
Wheeler later clarified that the regional jail had formally held prisoners that were then taken to the new INS facility. However, they were replaced with other federal prisoners, so it did not affect the population count at that time.
When asked by Supervisor Lloyd Banks, District Two, if the County had any other options, Giles mentioned the possibility of paying other regional jails to house prisoners, but then added that because the County was already a member of the Regional Jail Authority, “we are obligated in that way, since we are an owner of the jail.”
She added that she felt the large, worse-case scenario numbers, that are currently being projected, “shouldn't be the case.”
Banks then lightened the mood by asking if it would help if the sheriff's department started arresting less people.
Wheeler said he would be sure to report back to the board when additional reports on the jail are ready.
Supervisor Bill Osl, District One, raised several questions regarding the bills submitted to the board for approval during the November meeting.
In particular, he was concerned about an expenditure of $2,967 to England Mobile Home.
Giles stated that the school system gave the County a mobile classroom, free of charge. After consulting with Ingle, she decided to have it moved.
Osl asked Giles, “My question is: this wasn't in the budget… So who gave you authorization to make this payment?”
Ingle stepped in, saying he would assume responsibility for the expenditure, adding “this was a situation where we had to act on it that day. I will assume responsibility for it. I didn't authorize her to pay, but I suggested that she do it.” Later in the meeting, he expressed a willingness to personally pay for the expense if needed.
The County hopes to use the old classroom either for the Recreation Department or Sheriff's Department, according to Giles. If used by the Recreation Department, Giles stated that she had hoped to replace the funds via money from the department's budget or fundraisers.
Osl, however, was not concerned about where the money was going to come from, but that the appropriate procedure for such spending was followed. He felt a supplemental appropriation request should have been filed.
Banks asked about the need for authorization of certain amounts, “What amount are we looking at. If the County authorizes a $100, a $1,000, is there a threshold?”
Osl reiterated that he felt that if an expense was not in the budget, then it had not been approved by the board, neither had the funds been appropriated. He concluded, “You can't expend those funds if there hasn't been approval from the board of supervisors for supplemental appropriation.”
Ingle said he understood Osl's concerns, however he reiterated the time constraints of moving the mobile classroom, “We just didn't want to miss out on the opportunity of free.”
After a few more questions from Osl, some of which Giles was able to answer and others she said she would report back on later, Wheeler moved to approve the consent agenda, which included the bills. The motion passed unanimously.
The board approved a tentative Budget Calendar for Fiscal Year 2013-2014. Departments and agencies are scheduled to make budget presentations to the board in February. The county administrator's recommended budget and board of supervisor work sessions are scheduled for March. Public hearings on the proposed budget, tax levy and Five-Year Capital Improvement Plan are scheduled for April 2. The budget will hopefully be adopted later that month.
The board appropriated $50 for food supplies for animal control based on a donation received by the County.
The board appropriated $4,705 to the Recreation Department. The funds were raised by football and cheerleader parents to pay for equipment and uniforms.