Marion County officials say progress is being made on the budget deficit at the Marion-Walthall Correctional Facility.
Warden Derek Mingo, jail officials and county officials began meeting each month to work on bringing down the shortfall brought on by lack of state reimbursements or late payments on prisoners.
In a recent meeting, the Board of Supervisors discussed several items with Mingo. Billing, medical costs and other items are being analyzed.
Mingo said he hopes to save funds after bonds used to build the facility are paid off.
“I’d like to have a rainy day fund of some type,” he said. “My suggestion is that we continue to place that money in there so that we have funds available to utilize anytime we have items. I know we will be looking at our security system. I know that camera systems are much cheaper than they were 20 years ago. We are going to replace the fingerprinting machine, part of our booking system.”
District 5 Supervisor Calvin Newsom spoke about the attention being paid to the facility’s budget.
“I know we’ve scrutinized everything, and we know you deal with a lot,” he said. “I just wanted to say that we are so thankful for y’all and how you’ve worked with us. We know we’re moving in the right direction and we just wanted you to know. It’s not that we are singling you out, it’s that we, as a county, are looking at our money and your budget is one of our largest impacts. We do thank you for working hard and working with us with all of the components you’re given. It’s not a walk in the park.”
Mingo thanked the Board for working with the facility’s administrators.
“We are committed to being a team player and everything we do is to keep polices and procedures and to keep you as a county, out of litigation,” he said. “We want to be proactive instead of being reactive. We want to be ahead of the game. There are a lot of rules and regulations that we have to follow. I know your job is not to understand the intricate parts, it’s my job to do that and I appreciate your support. I just want to reiterate that we’re not hostile to anything that you do. We’re a team player and we appreciate you.”
CPA Charlie Prince, who has been working with the entities, said progress is being made.
“I think we’re all on the same page,” he said. “It’s not just black and white; there are a lot of moving parts.”
Discussions of jail funding and much more will continue when the Board meetings in regular session next, beginning on Feb. 5 at its Board offices on Courthouse Square. Supervisors meet each month beginning on the first Monday of the month through the first Thursday, and again on the third Monday of the month.
Pictured Above: The Marion-Walthall Correctional Facility budget discussion is making progress. | File Photo
