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Gibson County officials report jail staffing shortfalls, move forward on facility studies and solar rebates for jail project
Summary
County staff told commissioners the sheriff's office and corrections units face staffing gaps as jail facility work advances; commissioners were updated on environmental and electrical studies for old jail buildings and on $35,000 in utility incentive payments earmarked for the jail project.
Gibson County Board of Commissioners heard an update on jail staffing and facility work during their meeting on Oct. 7.
A county staff member reporting on law enforcement staffing said the sheriff's office has 19 deputy positions and all 19 are filled, while corrections has 20 budgeted positions with 16 filled and one person in training. "Our new facility needs at least 4 officers per shift to run safely," the staff member said. "I was told yesterday by the command staff, they'd like to have 5 or 6 per shift." The same staff member reported an average jail population in the lockup of about 120 in September and 35 people in the work-release program for the month.
The commissioners received an update on the jail project and related site work. County staff said they received about $19,000 from Duke Energy and $16,189.50 from CenterPoint Energy as incentives that will be applied to the jail project, for a roughly $35,000 total. County staff said another $100,000 from a separate solar payment is pending. "We're getting back about $35,000 back, from Duke Energy and from CenterPoint, go back toward a jail project," a county staff member said.
Commissioners were told an environmental study and engineering work were completed recently for the 1948 and 1989 jail structures and that an electrical engineer and surveyor were on site to prepare proposals for ventilation and decommissioning work. A county staff member said the older structures are vacated and the county is awaiting guidance from the engineering consultant about decommissioning electrical and water systems so the county does not inadvertently disable necessary systems.
On operations, staff described ongoing overtime and 12-hour shifts in the jail due to staffing shortages. "The jail's on 12 hour shifts. I don't like that. It's a lot of overtime. We gotta do that until we get the staffing crisis under control," the staff member said. County staff said hiring events and testing are planned to recruit deputies and part-time corrections staff.
The update included routine project notes: parking lot concrete work is nearly complete, with final leveling and asphalt surfacing to follow; utilities and ventilation proposals for old jails are being drafted; and the county expects additional information from the consultant soon.
The board did not adopt a new policy during the update; the presentation was an operational report and status update.
