(From left) Chief Deputy of Administration Joe Russell and Sheriff Robert Arnold speak to members of the Public Safety Committee during a Nov. 1, 2011, meeting about jail repairs. (TMP/D. Gardonia)
|
|
|
The Public Safety Committee approved a request Monday from the Sheriff’s Office to shift funds from existing budgets to pay for new uniforms and vehicles.
The Sheriff’s Office requested permission to move more than $10,000 into the New Vehicles Fund for radar equipment in patrol cars and approximately $25,000 for new uniforms.
“When we originally went to new uniforms, we got the same amount budgeted as the prior year, but we changed to a more expensive uniform,” said Chief Deputy of Administration Joe Russell.
“Where we would normally buy four per person, this year we only bought everybody two a piece,” Sheriff Robert Arnold added.
The Sheriff’s Office also requested shifting $98,000 from the Drug Fund to purchase a much needed van for the Rutherford County’s Special Weapons and Tactics Team. The Narcotics and Evidence divisions have also requested new vehicles.
“The SWAT van is a 1982 model ambulance that was given to us,” he said. “It’s leaking and the equipment is getting moldy.”
Commissioner Robert Peay Jr. (Dist. 4) said the Sheriff’s Office should use some of the funds allocated for brick repair work.
Arnold and Russell also expressed concerns about feeding inmates.
“We know when it comes closer to the end of the year, we are going to have to ask for a lot more money when it comes to feeding the inmates,” Arnold responded. “We’ve got a couple of other things we know are going to be coming up down the line, so we don’t really, at this moment, want to give anything up because we know we’re going to be asking for it.”
Peay reminded Arnold the County Commission did not want to allocate money for repairing the brick, but acknowledged that the committee had accommodated that request because it was necessary.
“We’re paying an additional 10 to 11 cents per meal, and that is probably going to run into this budget year so already that’s going to be overshooting our original figure,” Russell said.
Arnold added the jail had budgeted food for 700 inmates, but it is currently housing 800 inmates.
“With the other things we’re trying to take care of, I am trying to limit those as much as I can because I know that one line item, we’re going to have a problem with pretty soon,” Russell told the committee.
The Sheriff’s Office has taken on several significant projects in the last year, as various building issues were previously put on the back burner, while at the same time the continued growth of the inmate population sparked a need for major kitchen renovations.
Renovating the jail kitchen is costing the county $1.2 million to add more than 2,500 square feet of suitable space to feed inmates. More than $429,000 was approved in October for new dispatch equipment, as well.
However, no request was made at the time for additional money to feed inmates for the remainder of the fiscal year.
“I’m not really sure what we’re going to do about it because we need a sizable amount of money to finish out the year and that really concerns me,” Russell said. |
Email
Print
Facebook
StumbleUpon
Google
Yahoo!