Jay’s jail population has grown

Jay County’s population may not be growing, but the population of the county jail is.

“The numbers are climbing,” Sheriff Dwane Ford told Jay County Commissioners on Monday.

Jail population averaged a little over 86 inmates a day in 2017.

That jumped to more than 101 a day in 2018.

And so far in 2019, the jail is housing an average of more than 120 inmates a day.

“We’re considered full at 112,” said chief deputy Patrick Wells. “They get a little uptight when they’re crowded.”

The sheriff noted that changes in state law have led to more Level 6 felony prisoners being housed in county jails rather than going to Indiana Department of Correction.

“The abundance of drug violators has increased all over the state, increasing the housing numbers as well,” the sheriff reported to commissioners.

“The jail struggles to keep two officers on the floor on each shift. In the past there was only one on the floor from 2 a.m. to 10 a.m.”

Ford added, “We are going to need to hire people in the near future.”

Commissioners also gave unanimous approval to signing a letter of interest for the state’s Regional Stellar Designation Program.

Community developer Ami Huffman said more than 500 local residents have been working on a countywide Stellar proposal for the past several months and are now ready to pursue state support.

“An enormous amount of work has been done,” said commissioner Chuck Huffman. “What they’re putting together is really quite amazing. … This has been a purposeful, strategic direction we’ve gone.”

“We have a lot of partners throughout the county,” said Ami Huffman. 

The letter of interest will be submitted by April 5, then the county will have to wait to learn which communities are selected as finalists for Stellar designation.

County engineer Dan Watson told commissioners he’s continuing to work on a review of rural truck routes.

“Don’t expect a lot of changes at this point, but there will be some modifications,” said Watson. Traffic counts will be recorded in coming weeks as weather permits. “Once finalized, I will present my recommendations for approval and signs will be modified to match the ordinance.”

Watson also said he continues to be in contact with Scout Clean Energy to check on development of Bitter Ridge Wind Farm. 

Though Scout has not yet found a buyer for electricity that would be generated by the wind farm, the company is continuing with the planning stage so that construction can proceed quickly once a buyer is secured.

Transmission lines being planned along county road 500 South from Indiana 67 to road 1100 West have Watson concerned.

Scout originally proposed installing the steel posts for the lines in the county’s right of way, but Watson believes that would be too close to the roadway.

“I don’t think there’s enough room in the right of way to do that,” he said. “That’s going to be a big issue.”

In other business, commissioners:

•Learned that the new ambulance for Jay Emergency Medical Service has arrived and is expected to be put in service the last week of March or first week of April. Gary Barnett of JEMS leadership asked commissioners to consider remounting one of the ambulance “boxes” on a new chassis next spring. He estimated the cost at between $90,000 and $110,000. JEMS routinely remounts “boxes” on new chassis, some as many as four times.

•Approved a number of jail-related expenses including $795 for an annual fire inspection of the facility by Shambaugh and Sons of Fort Wayne, $3,032 for a water softener and plumbing work by Laux Plumbing and Heating in the jail kitchen, $2,014 for air conditioning repairs by Havel and $500 for a broken window in the jail lobby.

•Agreed to provide $7,000 toward the cost of new bullet-proof vests for sheriff’s reserves.

•Approved a contract with Grandview Pharmacy, a CVS affiliate, for pharmacy services for the Jay County Retirement Center.

•Purchased a demo ventilator unit for JEMS at a cost of $4,600.

•Took action to formally terminate the JEMS management contract with IU Health Jay.

•Agreed to keep the courthouse open during the Arch Bridge Kroozers Cruisin’ the Courthouse event on May 18.

•Accepted the donation of a red maple tree for the courthouse lawn from commissioner Mike Leonhard.