The Clark County Quorum Court on Monday considered several ordinances and Sheriff David Turner’s request of $103,264 for the jail to finish 2009 in the black.
Using a PowerPoint presentation, Turner explained the jail’s budget, including his efforts and ideas to reduce spending and increase revenue.
In case an inmate needs hospital care, Turner said he has negotiated with Baptist Health Medical Center-Arkadelphia to receive a 45-percent discount and Hot Spring County Medical Center for a 35-percent discount. This, he said, has resulted in a savings of $26,000 this year in his budget.
Since there is rarely enough room in the Clark County Jail, Turner has been housing prisoners in other counties. This had been costing the county or the arresting city agency from $35 per day to as much as $90 per day to house each prisoner. Dallas County will house an inmate for $35 per day, while Grant and Miller counties charge a daily rate of $45 for females and $40 for males. To house a juvenile in Jefferson County or Garland County it costs $90 per day. It costs $58 per day to house a prisoner in the Clark County Jail. Between the county jail and other jails, Turner said the county houses an average of 61 inmates per day.
For housing inmates outside the county, Turner provided a chart of how much the county has spent in housing them in seven counties since 2006. The county paid Sheridan Jail $14,960 in 2006 compared to $57,160 so far this year. The costs fluctuate, according to Turner, from year to year, depending on which jails have space and what price each jail charges.
In 2006, the average number of inmates housed outside Clark County per day was 10; 5 in 2007; 10 in 2008; and 12 in 2009.
Turner said he has been negotiating with surrounding sheriff’s departments to get the cost down to $28 per day in Dallas County; $40 and $35 per day for females and males, respectively, in Miller County; $35 and $30 per day for females and males, respectively, in Grant County; and from $90 to $75 per day for juveniles in Jefferson County. Garland County juvenile services, however, remained firm at $90 per day.
Turner said he has also cut food prices from $2.80 per meal to $1.94 per meal, and plans to continue the current contract for at least another year.
For fuel prices, deputies use fleet cards to receive a discount of 18.5 cents per gallon. Also, instead of changing oil in the department’s vehicles every 3,000 miles, the oil is being changed every 5,000 miles.
A jail doctor has also been contracted, Turner said, to cut down on doctor visits from the jail. Inmates held in other facilities, however, still visit doctors in that county. Prisoners’ pharmaceutical needs, he said, is what costs the most. “We’re spending quite a bit on pharmacy,” he told the court. Turner said he looks at each inmate and how much he or she costs the county in medical needs, and speaks with judges to get those who cost more tried more quickly.
An increased use of ankle bracelets have cut down on housing, medical, dental, pharmacy and food costs. It costs $14 per day to utilize the ankle monitoring system, and some inmates are required to pay for their bracelet service. It costs the county an average of $3,766 per month to use the ankle bracelet system, not including what portion is paid by those using the bracelet. A total of 101 inmates have been placed on the ankle-monitoring system so far this year, creating a monthly average of 24 per month. Of those 24, Turner said, the county pays for about six. The county pays for those who are “indigent,” Turner said, as well as any juvenile or those facing a felony charge.
Turner terminated the jail’s service contract with Johnson Control — a heating and air company — resulting in a savings of $932 per month. The jail’s air conditioning unit is so old, he said, that it is out of warranty. He added that it costs $70 per month just to change the filters.
Turner requested a “Pay-to-Stay” Ordinance which would require inmates to pay for their own room and board while in the Clark County Jail. The ordinance, which the court put on its first reading without much discussion, will require inmates — if convicted — to pay for all their housing, transportation, medical, dental, hospital and pharmacy costs. An account will be set up for each prisoner, and each account will be monitored. Inmates will pay off the expense as they would their fees.
Justice Francis McGill asked if there had been new laws implemented for the concept of Pay-for-Stay. “Is this something we should have been doing all along?” she asked. Turner said it is a fairly new state law, and added that two counties he knows of — Craighead and Jefferson — have taken advantage of it.
McGill asked how much an inmate would be required to spend each day to be housed in the jail. Turner said it would cost each one $58 per day, in addition to other expenses like medical needs and the cost of transporting them to the jail.
McGill asked if passing the ordinance would mean putting that money back into the county’s pocket. “It may take a while,” Turner replied, “but we’ll get some.”
Justice Albert Neal inquired if keeping up with the accounts would require the hiring of additional staff at the jail. Turner said it would not require any additional staff because he would be the one who kept up with the accounts. Neal said the reason he asked was because, “down the road,” there might be an issue with creating additional slots for new positions. Turner assured the court there would be no extra work put on the jail staff in keeping up with the accounts. Justice Jerry Buck moved to place the ordinance on its first reading, followed by a second from Vickie Smithpeters. The motion carried unanimously.
Turner also requested a Medical Co-Pay ordinance be considered which would require inmates to pay $20 for any medical services like seeing a doctor, nurse, dentist or other medical care provider. Inmates would also have to pay a $10 co-pay for all prescriptions not covered by his insurance. With no discussion, Buck moved to place the ordinance on its first reading, followed by a second from Justice Mac Neel. The motion carried unanimously.
In other efforts to reduce spending, Turner said he has reduced the full-time collector’s office position to part-time since the collector is only busy “certain times of the year” during tax season.
In his efforts to increase revenue, Turner said he has negotiated the inmate phone service from 40 percent to 45 percent of the gross billable income, and has garnished state income tax returns for back fines — 75 percent of which is put back into the county’s general fund.
The jail has received $57,736 in reimbursements this year from the Arkansas Department of Correction, and Turner has requested $4,254 in medical reimbursements and $58,884 in housing reimbursements. After being convicted for a felony, a prisoner may wait in the county jail for up to six months before any space is available in the state prison system. After a certain time period from the conviction date the ADC reimburses the county for housing prisoners.
Turner provided a budget summary for the jail, noting that prisoners’ medical and prescription needs have steadily risen since 2006. The year-to-date total for housing expenditures is $120,572 — $24,572 more than the $96,000 appropriated for the budget. The year-to-date total for prescription needs is $32,860 — $13,860 more than the $19,000 appropriated for the budget. The year-to-date total for medical care is $51,247 — $20,535 more than the $30,712 appropriated for the budget. Prisoner food, however, is still under budget by $35,331 for the year. The total budget expenditures so far is $269,349 — $23,637 more than the $245,712 appropriated.
Turner initially requested $145,000 to get through the year, but after meeting Monday with County Judge Ron Daniell he moved $56,000 from other funds like juvenile housing, sundry, fuel, oil and lubricants and service contracts. This brought the total down to $89,000, but subtracting $57,736 in invoices from ADC decreased his housing needs to $31,264. It was argued that the $57,736 from ADC will have to be budgeted for, bringing the housing request back up.
The total requested was $103,264, but after factoring in the ADC invoices the total requested is $161,000.
County Treasurer Judy Beth Hutcherson showed concern that the county’s general fund is the lowest she has ever seen it in her 14 years of being treasurer. While there is usually about $900,000 in the general fund, there is $480,000 now. While tax season will bring in about $4.5 million, most of that will be given to the local school districts.
Buck moved to refer the discussion to the county’s budget committee, seconded by Justice Vanillah Hannah. McGill requested that Hutcherson be available to speak with the committee and explain what funds may be available for Turner’s needs. The motion carried.
The committee is expected to meet some time this month to discuss the issue.
Arkadelphia, Ark. —
