GROVETON — The continuing costs of operating the jail have commissioners questioning the worth of the 100-year-old facility, which by all accounts has far outlived its purpose.
The jailers, inmates and communications people housed there have dealt with cramped conditions, failing electrical and plumbing systems, and strict oversight from the State Jail Commission.
Last year, the county put a $16 million-plus bond issue before the voters, which was rejected, leaving the Sheriff’s Office with the old building, which can house at most seven inmates, and contracts with surrounding counties to house the rest.
Sheriff Woody Wallace said they have between 35 to 45 prisoners daily.
Commissioner Tommy Park said he asked for a special meeting, which was held April 7, because the county is approaching budget time and needs to make a decision on keeping the jail open or shutting it down.
“I want to know if this jail will save us any money,” Park said. “If it’s not, then do we need to keep it?”
The county not only pays to keep the prisoners in house, but upwards of $800,000 a year to house them in other jails. The Sheriff’s office currently employs two full-time and three part-time jailers, who also double as dispatchers.
Options for the housing prisoners should the county opt to close the jail would be to use Trinity Police Department’s jail, or move all prisoners, including ones just arrested, to other counties.
Park said that should they close it, the most expensive part will be moving dispatch and the associated equipment.
However, Wallace pointed out that it could be dangerous for the county to not have holding cells should other counties refuse to take inmates. He also said that the Trinity holding cells do not meet Jail Commission standards.
“An Attorney General report states that any prisoner in county custody must be in a facility that meets Jail Commission standards,” Wallace said. “That option is not available unless the city of Trinity is willing to spend a lot of money.
“My question to you is if you shut this jail down, what is my solution?” Wallace asked. “It’s not feasible to take inmates across the county line every time we make an arrest.”
Wallace also said the county is not in the business of saving money, it’s in the business to provide services, and one of the statutory obligations of this court is to provide the sheriff with a jail; while that can be done across a county line, the court should meet the demands in the county.
“I have over 100 warrants right now that we cannot serve in this county because we have no place to put them,” he said. “I’m trying to work with you guys on this problem. I’m sure the only solution we have is more money.
“Closing this jail before you have a solution is not a solution,” he said. “If you shut this down, it cannot be reopened. We’re operating on eight variances right now.”
Trinity Police Chief Steven Jeter it was his opinion for the county to look at the problem purely from a funding standpoint.
“You have to have some kind of skeleton jail, especially with the mandates coming down from the state,” he said. “I also haven’t heard anything about putting pencil to paper about funding, and that should be a priority. I think we need to go across the county, and all of us will hurt a little bit, until something changes regarding the jail.”
Jeter also said that in order to use the Trinity Jail, showers and beds would have to be installed, and the city isn’t at the point where it can do that right now.
“We’re operating on bare bones as well, so I feel your pain,” he said.
Justice of the Peace Keith Johnson told the panel he knew two things to be true — the county will grow within the next 10 years, and the cost of building things won’t go down.
“I know the taxpayers said no, but we got to figure something out,” he said. “We also should do some long-range planning, so people coming in after you know what the plans are.”
The court was to discuss the matter further at the Tuesday meeting.
