CAT Tracks for October 6, 2009
NO GET-OUT-OF-JAIL-FREE CARD

...YET!


From the Southeast Missourian...


Link to Original Story

Alexander County pays off debt to Tri-County Jail, but budget problems persist

By Bridget DiCosmo ~ Southeast Missourian

ULLIN, Ill. -- Even as Alexander County's financial troubles continue to mount, the sheriff's department will be able to continue housing inmates in the Tri-County Detention Facility in Ullin, authorities said Monday. The $86,000 in back payments the county owed to house prisoners in the jail has now been paid in full, excluding costs for the month of September, which haven't been submitted yet, said Alexander County Treasurer Frances Lee.

Two lawsuits for non-payment that were levied against Alexander County over the summer had created a tenuous situation for the future of the contract with Tri-County, but the balance of the bill was paid off Monday.

The county was given an Oct. 1 deadline to make the payments on the debt, Alexander County Sheriff David Barkett said.

A payment of $45,000 was made several weeks ago with money allocated by a court ruling, and the remainder was taken from the county's tort liability fund it keeps to protect it from lawsuits, Lee said.

Paying the jail leaves $74,000 in the tort liability fund until tax revenue replenishes it, and county officials are just beginning budget hearings, as the fiscal year ends Nov. 30, Lee said.

"This is an ongoing thing with Alexander County," said Gayla Jones, who oversees all of the contracts for Pulaski County, where the jail is located.

"You know, they're a poor county."

Jones said the jail has had to sue Alexander County several times over the past few years for nonpayment of the costs incurred by housing inmates.

The county now has 13 inmates at Tri-County, and pays $51.50 per day to board each one, Barkett said.

As Barkett pointed out, that includes people arrested by other agencies in Alexander County, including the Illinois State Police and the Cairo Police Department.

Debt has piled up for Alexander County, which recently accepted a donation of five sheriff's patrol cars to replace ones that had been repossessed after the county defaulted on its payments.

Before that, 50 percent of the court staff and 75 percent of the sheriff's department personnel suffered layoffs.

Barkett refrained from commenting specifically on the county's financial situation.

"I'm a law enforcement officer, I have no checkbook in my office," Barkett said.

Lee said she has seen the budget problems for the county accumulate over the past decade.

"This is not something that's happened in the past six months," she said.

Lee said the county has made no decisions as to how they will continue to make their payments to Tri-County.

"They haven't sat down and devised a plan, and that's what's needed at this time," she said.