Jail funding questioned

As budget season approaches, the Jay County Council and county sheriff butted heads Wednesday night on how to fund jail expenses in 2012.
Sheriff Ray Newton approached the council to ask about moving some of his department costs out of the general jail budget, which is funded by property taxes, and instead pay them out of the Local Option Income Tax public safety fund, which is generated by income tax.
Currently the public safety fund is only being tapped to pay Newton’s annual salary and has a balance of about $180,000. However, the fund is expected to accumulate about another $310,000 in the next 12 months.
Newton suggested paying the salaries for six jailers (about $150,000) as well as providing money for two new vehicles so that he won’t have to come up to the council to ask for that money each year.
The move would free up about $200,000 in the county’s general fund that could be appropriated to other places or saved for unforeseen expenses.
The Jay County Council did approve a shift in LOIT rates in September, reducing the homestead replacement credit portion by .15 percentage points in order to increase the public safety rate by .15 percentage points. The shift was made with the intention to help support operations at the expanded Jay County Jail.
Councilwoman Marilyn Coleman expressed concern about funding salaries out of the public safety fund.
“Personally I wouldn’t mind putting the cars in there, but I worry about funding positions out of there,” she said. “Personally I’d rather spend it for other costs than salaries.”
Coleman noted that she didn’t want to run into a situation where salaries overwhelm the fund, as happened with the county’s reassessment fund — another matter that the council conducted business on earlier in the meeting — or to see a situation like the hard-hitting recession in 2008 and 2009 where income tax revenue severely declined.
“I’m not against using it,” she said. “I’m just not eager to spend two-thirds of it.”
Newton said by moving the expenses, it would free up the $200,000, some of which could be used to properly fund operating expenses at the jail, such as utilities, while still leaving funds to be applied to other departments.
“I’m trying to save the county money,” Newton said. “But I don’t have the money I need to run the (jail). To see money (sit) there and accumulate, I don’t understand that,” he said.
Councilman Dan Orr sided with Coleman, stating that while he didn’t take issue with utilizing the public safety fund for some expenses, he hesitated at committing so much of it in the first year.
“I feel we need to ease into it,” Orr said.
Councilman Gary Theurer also questioned about other agencies which might want or need to draw from the public safety fund. Other than the sheriff’s department, Jay Emergency Medical Service as well as two fire departments are eligible to utilize public safety money.
Councilman Ted Champ sided more with Newton, noting that he had spoken with the sheriff about the topic in depth prior to the meeting.
“If you got money there that’s going to save the general fund money, I’m not against spending some of it.”
Coleman against urged a slower approach in deciding how much to spend out of public safety income tax funds.
“We can decide as we go,” she said. “I’m not ready to jump into it.”
Theurer took a middle ground in advising Newton how to budget for 2012.
“Let’s do your salary and the two cars this (coming) year,” he said.
“Let’s start there the first year, then we’ll look it,” said Theurer, suggesting that the council can analyze revenue coming into the fund and have further discussion on what the council would be willing to commit in 2013.
In other business Wednesday, the county council:
•Approved an additional appropriation of $40,000 for reassessment. County assessor Diana Stults informed the council that the reassessment fund will be short $36,556.15 this year, since the fund has been overdrawn the past five years, partly due to salaries being funded out of the reassessment fund.
Stults noted that she will need the $40,000 this year and then will have to fund the entire reassessment budget out of the general fund in 2012 since it will be totally depleted and the department will not be able to tap new reassessment funds until 2013.
•Approved an appropriation of $1,208 in deferral funds, which will be used to pay for office equipment for the Jay County Prosecutor’s office.
•Appropriated $34,100 in probation user fees, which will be used to purchase video arraignment equipment for the courts. The new equipment will allow inmates to appear for hearings in court via video screen, which will can alleviate transport and staffing issues for the jail.
•Approved an appropriation of $3,750 for Jay County Emergency Management Agency to purchase ID badge equipment and a Wi-Fi hotspot. The money is coming from a state grant.
•Appropriated $8,000 in infrastructure funds that will pay for the land purchase and access road to the Portland Pioneer Cemetery west of Jaqua Avenue. The Jay County Commissioners purchased land containing the cemetery, which became private property due to a recording error somewhere in the county’s history, and will add a gravel access road.
•Approved an additional appropriation of $10,000 in infrastructure funds to pay for electrical upgrades and generator installation at the Jay County Highway Department garage.
•Approved a transfer for the Jay County Assessor’s office of $1,600, which will be used to purchase a new laser printer.
•Received a report from council president Mike Leonhard that Minnich Poultry is in compliance with the terms of its tax abatement.
•Assigned tax abatement compliance check-ups. Champ will visit Bell Aquaculture, Redkey; Orr will check Wabash Valley Power, which operates the methane digesters at the Jay County Landfill; and Leonhard will check with Holiday Inn Express, Portland.
•Approved use of $6,761.25 in LOIT public safety funds to purchase a new sheriff’s cruiser to replace one that was destroyed in a flash flood. The county received $16,215 from insurance for the totaled vehicle.
•Re-appointed Stephanie Walter to the Dunkirk Public Library Board.[[In-content Ad]]