FORT MADISON – Changing cooks for inmates at the Lee County Jail may end up saving the county big bucks.
The proposal was made by Sheriff Stacy Weber to Lee County Supervisors at a workshop Tuesday. No action was taken at the workshop, which consisted of department heads presenting their proposed 2018-19 fiscal budgets to the supervisors.
Currently, Iowa State Penitentiary (ISP) supplies the meals, each day to those housed at the jail at a cost of $3.50 per meal– and Weber says the daily population there is about 90. That’s 270 meals a day, or 95,550 meals annually.
“We’ve cut back to two meals and, instead of cereal and milk, we give them a pop tart for breakfast,” Weber said, adding that breakfast alone was costing about $20,000 a year. “Milk is expensive, guys. Imagine having 100 kids to feed.”
So, in an effort to cut costs, Weber and his deputies shopped around for alternative providers.
“I’m not sorry about it. It’s taxpayers’ money and we’re going to be frugal with it,” he added.
Weber’s proposal is to go with Consolidated Correctional Food Service out of Des Moines that serves several jails and colleges in Iowa. The company provided two estimates – one for $1.65 per meal and paying for the kitchen upgrade up front and the other for $2.03 per meal with financing the kitchen upgrade over five years.
The needed upgrade to the kitchen at the jail is expected to cost $65,000 to $80,000.
“This is nothing against the prison, they’re our brothers. It’s just business and, as I see it, tasking someone to deliver meals is one less C.O. (correctional officer) working the (prison) yard,” Weber said.
According to data given to the supervisors, the $1.65 per meal option would provide an average of 90 inmates three meals a day for $162,607 per year – saving the county $813,037 over five years. The $2.03 per meal option would do the same for an annual cost of $200,056 .
Weber said that continuing to have ISP provide the meals, the cost will be $1,149,750 over the next five years – in addition to the $20,000 annual cost of breakfast.
SECURITY COMMITTEE
Also during Tuesday’s workshop, District Judge John Wright, on behalf of the Courthouse Security Committee, asked supervisors to earmark funds in the next county budget to address safety issues at the courthouses in Keokuk and Fort Madison.
Wright noted that supervisors have made some progress by placing a sheriff deputy in the courtrooms when court is in session, and installing a camera at the back door of the South Lee County Courthouse, but he says more needs to be done.
“When someone is upset about a fine or that they may lose custody of their children, they may not only take it out on employees, but the public as well,” Wright said.
On the committee’s to-do list are replacing windows at the offices at both courthouses with bullet-proof or very thick glass; placing a uniformed officer on the first floor of the South Lee County Courthouse when the county treasurer’s office is open there and at the North Lee County Office building in Fort Madison when the treasurer’s office is open there; installing card readers for inside and outside doors; installing microphones or speakers to allow county employees to speak to citizens through the thicker glass windows; and providing each county employee with a panic button to be worn around their necks while on the promises.
“They can be confronted by an irate person while walking down the hall or in the restroom,” Wright said.
He said the individual panic buttons would cost $149 per button and the windows would likely be about $1,000 each. The most significant expense would be paying for the uniformed officer, which Wright said is to be hired by the county sheriff, but should not be paid for from his budget. The officer would be an additional security expense.
Recorder Nancy Booten said an officer should be placed at each county office site when the offices are open –and not just when the treasurer’s office is open at the site.
“Because they don’t know when the treasurer’s office is open. That’s part of the problem, and so they take it out on us,” Booten said.
The subject of security at the county offices has surfaced several times in recent months. In November, Booten and Treasurer Chris Spann told supervisors more needed to be done to protect employees.
Although no action was taken at Tuesday’s workshop, several supervisors indicated support for earmarking funds for security measures.
‘We need to put this in motion. We’ve been kicking the can for years,” Supervisor Matt Pflug said. “It takes money. We know that, but at some point we have to find that money.”
‘We need to appropriate a fixed number, or amount, and take a little bite out of it,”Supervisor Gary Folluo added.
Supervisor Rick Larkin suggested a certain amount be budgeted for security that would allow the committee to tackle larger long-term security projects.
