Jail issue will be on ballot (07/10/2008)

It's official: The Jay County Jail expansion will be on the ballot in November.

Within one week, more than 130 signatures were gathered on petitions to form the referendum question. Only 100 were needed, but the county clerk has already verified the number of registered voters on the petition has surpassed that mark.

The council adopted a resolution to certify the public question for the November election.

On election day, the question will read on ballots: "Shall Jay County, Indiana issue bonds or enter into a lease to finance an addition to the Jay County Jail?"

The vote will decide the fate of the planned jail expansion, a project with a borrowing price tag of $10 million and a property tax increase of about 11.5 cents per $100 of assessed value.

In lieu of the jail expansion project taking another step forward, council members were reminded of the current jail's inadequacies as sheriff Ray Newton came to request more money to pay for compensation time for his employees.

Newton received an additional $15,000 to cover the jail staff and another $11,000 for the 911 fund to cover dispatchers only. He also received approval for two transfers of $552.15 and $5,121.65 to help alleviate comp time costs.

Newton said he thinks this money should carry him through the end of the year.

"And if it don't you'll come back to see us?" said council member Judy LeMaster.

"Right," responded Newton, who's left with few other options to fight the growing problem. He's been telling people at the courthouse for some time about his staffing woes.

"It's difficult finding people to fill them shifts," he said. "I have a difficulty finding part time help for jailors. We put on two more people and we still have a $15,000 shortage."

Newton took flak for the titanic comp time costs at April's council meeting, where council member Gerald Kirby expressed frustration and wanted solutions.

"The overtime and comp time is turning into more than a small problem," Kirby said Tuesday night.

"He inherited a big problem," chipped in councilman Fred Bailey.

Newton said he has reduced comp time costs around $20,000 from what they were, but that he's still in over his head.

While most business moved smoothly through the council table, councilwoman Marilyn Coleman kept prodding members to action or discussion on the money for jail personnel, saying that the issue had come to the table and they needed to do something about it. That action turned out to be handing the money over and crossing their fingers that it would be all he needed for the rest of 2008.

Later in the meeting Newton came back to the council to present his solutions to the problems as he presented them to the Jay County Commissioners June 16.

These ideas include hiring another full time dispatcher and increasing the hours of the department's administrative assistant and its secretary to 40 hours per week, up from 35. Both suggestions will likely be presented again during budget talks in August.

In other business Wednesday night, the county council:

•Approved a transfer of $2,000 for the health department to cover vaccine expenses. Also approved transfers to allow the bioterrorism wing to purchase items before its grant money expires.

•Approved creation of two chief probation officers to cover a state mandate. The positions will require an increased salary. The council will have to amend the salary ordinance next month to allow for the change.

•Approved $40 for backhoe repair and replacement due to a slight shortage in the fund with the surveyor's office.

•Approved $4,000 for Jay County Emergency Medical Services overpayment.

•Approved a total of $16,800 for Drug Free Community programs.

•Approved $40,000 in infrastructure projects, including $14,000 for parking lot paving and $26,000 for a feasibility study.

•Approved a transfer of $1,200 to pay for the ICE program.

•Approved transfers totaling $8,010 for community corrections to cover costs not covered by terms of a new grant.

•Received a report from community developer Ami Huffman about Jay County Community Development's accomplishments in the last year. The department received more than $1 million in grants in the past year. Huffman also presented the department's budget request for 2009.

•Received a report from Bill Bradley, executive director of the Jay County Development Corporation about the department's work in the last year. Bradley presented the council with his 2009 budget request, which increased about $1,500 to $2,000.

•Denied a job description change and pay raise for the administrative assistant in the Jay/Portland Building and Planning. A recommendation from a job position consultant stated the description written by department administrator Bill Milligan showed few additional duties to warrant the pay jump.

•Authorized a $700,000 loan from the cumulative bridge fund to bolster the general fund.

•Received a budget planning calendar outlining six meetings during August and early September.

•Received a report from the county's insurance company reviewing the current state of the county's coverage.

•Heard a recap from Coleman about a meeting she attended with the Department of Local Government Finance and the State Board of Accounts.[[In-content Ad]]