The Marion County Correctional Facility has slashed $300,000 from its proposed budget as the county works on putting together a plan for the fiscal year that begins Oct. 1.
Warden Derek Mingo presented the revised budget Monday morning at the Board of Supervisors meeting.
The jail, which has been losing money on the county side, has been a hot topic for the board during budget preparation time.
Last week the board held a work session that lasted more than three hours with the county CPA and Mingo.
Mingo said the new revised budget is nearly $300,000 less than the original budget presented. Changes were made in scheduling officers so there will be less overtime paid and decreases in food service.
CPA Charlie Prince has previously said the jail has been spending an additional $50,000 a month from the county general fund, causing red flags for this year’s budget planning.
“We are going to have to cut back from where we were last year,” Prince said.
The board took some time to review the new budget.
“We are at a stalemate right now,” Board President Terry Broome said.
“I understand that,” Mingo said.
Broome said the jail does need more money, but it is imperative that the jail also cut expenses to keep from going into the red.
“They are willing to work with us, and we are willing to work with them,” Broome said.
One of the issues at hand Mingo has previously said was the county was paying for its side of the jail based on an average number of inmates staying whereas the state pays for a set number with additional funds for inmates over the set number. The county is now looking at doing the same with paying a set amount each month. By doing this it will allow the jail to have a better idea of income coming in each month when doing a budget and determining expenses.
A hearing was originally scheduled to be held on Tuesday, Aug. 20 to determine the amount of the budget and the millage rate, which will be published in the newspaper. But after the jail had to turn in a revised budget, the hearing was postponed to Thursday, Aug. 29. That notice will include the date and time of a public hearing before a vote is taken on the budget.
The new fiscal year begins on Oct. 1.
Pictured Above: Warden Derek Mingo, rear, speaks to the Marion County Board of Supervisors during a budget hearing. Jail funding has been the main issue for the county as it tries to put together a budget and set a property tax rate for the fiscal year that begins on Oct. 1, 2019, and runs through Sept. 30, 2020. | Photo by Susan Amundson
