Commissioners discuss jail staffing

Commissioners discuss jail staffing Brian Smith Wed, 03/06/2024 - 5:07 pm   Jack County Commissioners discussed their decision not to hire additional staff at the Jack County Jail during their Monday, Feb. 26 meeting. Photo/Brian Smith Jack County Commissioners will not be hiring additional staff at the Jack County Jail at the present time. On the Feb. 26 agenda, commissioners discussed adding four new jailers to accommodate a proposed new inmate housing contract with Collin County. Under the proposal, Collin County would pay $75 per day to house its inmates. The 96 space jail is presently staffed for 48 inmates and averages between 22-23 local inmates a day. County Judge Keith Umphress said the county was looking to house between 20-25 new inmates under the contract. That would be an additional $1,500-$1,800 a day to Jack County. Umphress had proposed hiring four new jailers to boost the number of inmates to be housed to the maximum jail capacity. State law requires jails to meet a 12:1 inmate to jailer ratio. “We’ve done this under past sheriff regimes,” Umphress said. He asked County Auditor Lisa Perry to provide daily cost per inmate housed at the jail. When the vote was taken, it ended in a 2-all tie with Umphress and Precinct 2 Commissioner Kenny Salazar voting to approve the deal while Precinct 1 Commissioner Gary Oliver and Precinct 4 Commissioner Terry Ward voting no. Precinct 3 Commissioner Henry Birdwell was not at the meeting. Umphress said the item will be considered at the next court meeting Monday, March 11. In other news, commissioners adopted new rules for On-Site Sewer Facilities. Permits will now be required on all sewer systems except for those on more than 100 acres and those that use a licensed installer. No one spoke on the item during a public hearing before the vote. Umphress said the new rules are to insure systems are installed correctly. Agent Bob Hammond, who reviews sewage systems, will check out the system design and to insure correct installation. “Once the inspection is done, it will provide an additional layer of protection for the citizens of Jack County,” Umphress said. Commissioners also accepted the retirement letter of K-9 Unit dog Xena from the Jack County Sheriff’s Department. Xena was with the department for several years and was trained and handled by Deputy David VanderKaay. The department will still have one other K-9 animal.