County begins slashing law enforcement budgets

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by Paul Schreiber|ret||ret||tab|

SBJ Reporter|ret||ret||tab|

pschreiber@sbj.net|ret||ret||tab|

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Getting the public on board makes selling the agenda much easier. |ret||ret||tab|

A proposed quarter-cent Greene County law enforcement sales tax, which would have raised about $10 million a year, failed Feb. 3, in part due to lack of a broad-based discussion, said Bill Compere, a candidate for the District 2 commission seat.|ret||ret||tab|

Compere, who opposed the tax proposal, said the public might have gotten behind it if the percentage requested was smaller, if area municipalities were offered more of the pie and if the public-at-large had been included more effectively in the commission's rationale behind the tax.|ret||ret||tab|

It's almost certain that Greene County will again seek voters' support for a law enforcement sales tax as early as next year, but this time around, the county commission is making a concerted effort to generate community input on and support for law enforcement needs.|ret||ret||tab|

Greene County Presiding Commissioner Dave Coonrod is proposing the formation of a law enforcement needs assessment task force, comprising citizens, chamber officials and business executives. The task force would work with the seven-member county financial advisory board to determine how best to fund criminal justice and public safety programs for the county. |ret||ret||tab|

Meanwhile, the money just isn't there.|ret||ret||tab|

"I've never seen circumstances of this magnitude face the county, since I've been on the commission for 16 years," Coonrod said. |ret||ret||tab|

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Prosecutor's office|ret||ret||tab|

The acute need for additional law enforcement moneys became clear toward the end of 2003 during budget meetings, said Darrell Moore, Greene County prosecuting attorney. |ret||ret||tab|

Moore has eliminated three full-time assistant prosecutor positions, one part-time assistant prosecutor and two full-time clerical personnel to shave the necessary $252,100 from his operating budget. |ret||ret||tab|

These employees will leave their jobs March 31. |ret||ret||tab|

These cuts are in addition to nixing the addition of two entry-level assistant prosecutors, a senior assistant prosecutor, two paralegals and an internal information systems manager, recommended for the prosecutor's office by a Criminal Justice System Assessment final report issued May 6, 2003, by the Berkeley, Calif.-based Institute For Law And Policy Planning, Moore said.|ret||ret||tab|

The cost for those five positions would have totaled $216,903, Moore said.|ret||ret||tab|

Moore said he found out in October there would be a budget shortfall due, in part, to the state's failure to reimburse counties for their expenses. |ret||ret||tab|

He added that Sheriff Jack Merritt, Juvenile Judge Tom Mountjoy and he "were brought in (by the commission) and shown that the law enforcement sales tax was hemorrhaging and we were looking at a $1.9 million deficit by the end of 2004. And that steps would have to be taken." |ret||ret||tab|

An 11 percent across the board reduction was considered initially, Coonrod said, but after review it was determined many county offices couldn't withstand the cut.|ret||ret||tab|

It was then that a new law enforcement sales tax was strongly considered and that contingency budget plans needed to be drawn up, Moore said.|ret||ret||tab|

He said it was always clear to him law enforcement would bear the brunt of the cuts because the commission had already used general revenue to cover budget shortfalls over the last few years, primarily in the cost of operating the jail.|ret||ret||tab|

"I think the jail situation has cost far more money than anyone thought," Moore said.|ret||ret||tab|

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Sheriff's Department|ret||ret||tab|

In the Sheriff's Department, cutting costs while simultaneously raising fresh capital is required to take care of its $1.3 million deficit, said Merritt.|ret||ret||tab|

In all scenarios regarding jail revenue, the amount of money generated would be determined by the actual number of inmates and, in some cases, their payment of the required fees. |ret||ret||tab|

The most significant revenue producer for Merritt's office is the near doubling the number of beds for federal prisoners, from more than 30 to 60, to process both federal inmates and Immigration and Naturalization Service prisoners from U.S. Marshals, Merritt said. This could generate about $700,000 a year, he added. |ret||ret||tab|

His office also is negotiating a federal prisoner pay increase with the Justice Department that would bump up the jail's reimbursement from $46.27 per day to $58 per day per prisoner, but this has not been finalized, Merritt said.|ret||ret||tab|

The jail is now charging a $20 booking fee to the more than 20,000 prisoners who enter the jail each year, Merritt said, hoping to collect at least $250,000. There is also a $5 optional charge to bonders for certain prisoner information and papers, he added.|ret||ret||tab|

Finally, a $5.13 prisoner per diem charge is also under consideration, Merritt said. |ret||ret||tab|

The per diem could generate up to $865,000, said Jeff Reinhold, Greene County budget officer, but assuming a more conservative rate of payment it would produce about $106,000 annually.|ret||ret||tab|

Cost savings of $80,000 to $100,000 should come from restructuring the prisoners' menu cycle from five weeks to one week, Merritt said.|ret||ret||tab|

Also, two vacant positions a narcotics officer and a court security officer position will not be filled, Merritt said, for salary savings of about $80,000.|ret||ret||tab|

Through revenue enhancements and funding cuts, Merritt has generated $1.1 million worth of funding, Reinhold said. The remaining $200,000 could be captured by either eliminating seven positions or imposing a 2 percent salary reduction across the board. |ret||ret||tab|

The Sheriff's Department is going with the 2 percent salary reduction.|ret||ret||tab|

Compere said there's an unallocated line item in the county's budget for $909,590 that might help defray the sheriff's deficit. He also said the county "has been too conservative in its revenue projections for 2004," adding that another $300,000 to $500,000 might come in above the budget amount. |ret||ret||tab|

The $900,000 is three months' worth of operating revenues that are invested and draw interest, Coonrod said. The county holds on to these funds in case of emergencies, he added.|ret||ret||tab|

The county courts' shortfall portion is $340,000, Reinhold said. Their budget is a different situation, however, as it's done by court order and can't be changed by the commission, he added. |ret||ret||tab|

The courts' pledge has been to eliminate most of its travel expenses, reduce paper and journal subscription costs or subscribe online, and reduce office supply expenses.|ret||ret||tab|

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The future|ret||ret||tab|

Moore said if the revenue situation is not fixed, next year will require a "drastic change of service." He said the prosecutor's office might need to refuse to file certain kinds of cases "even though the crime has been committed and the crime has been solved."|ret||ret||tab|

"That's the reality," Moore said, as some cass are already being diverted. "But to adequately prepare and try serious felony cases, we cannot sustain many more cuts."|ret||ret||tab|

Likewise, Merritt noted that he can't expect his employees to see their salaries shrink or stagnate forever. "If their salary is going to move in retrograde, then retention is going to be extremely difficult for the county."|ret||ret||tab|

Coonrod concurred. If the pounding the county's budget is getting doesn't ease back, layoffs for general revenue positions, and not just law enforcement personnel, might be necessary, he said. one example could be as "Draconian a cut as closing the courthouse down an extra day a week," he added.|ret||ret||tab|

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