Sheriff requests county funding for part-time peer support worker, outlines inmate-housing revenue and staffing needs

Sheriff asked the County Finance Committee to add $10,000 from the county budget to fund half of a part-time peer support specialist position in the jail, saying the role would support inmates on reentry and link them to treatment after release. The sheriff said he would cover the other half — $10,000 — from an existing grant (MARR funds).

The office described the position as part time with no benefits and a maximum of 999 hours per year. The sheriff said the person currently working in the role has lived recovery experience and “has been doing a fantastic job back there,” and gave an example of arranging treatment within weeks for someone who relapsed after release.

The sheriff and budget staff also discussed revenues from housing inmates for other counties. County staff reported that the account holding those receipts (account 6) had about $576,000 on hand at the time of the meeting and could be “a little over $600,000” by year-end depending on receipts. The sheriff advised using a simple projection of $15,000 per month from such contracts — roughly $180,000 annually — as a conservative planning figure and noted King County and Cook County as current sources of out-of-county inmates.

Budget staff reviewed multiple line items in the sheriff’s budget: the physician contract and a voided dental contract; an increase in live-scan costs by $2,400; travel, meals and lodging by $2,500; a $16,900 increase for training (to send newly hired correctional deputies to PTI basic correctional training “as mandated by the state of Illinois”); and several increases to inmate supplies and uniforms for anticipated new hires and retirees.

The sheriff’s office reported reimbursements for extraditions and overtime. So far this fiscal year the office had received about $48,000 in extradition reimbursements and about $152,000 reimbursed toward overtime costs. Staff said extradition costs are largely reimbursable but timing can move some receipts into the next fiscal year.

Committee members asked about payroll and staffing. Budget figures discussed factored in four additional deputies and a plan to outfit several new squad cars; the committee approved sending the proposed set of funds and equipment requests to the finance department for further consideration. The committee later approved payment of the sheriff’s bills.

Discussion-only items included how to reclassify a previously separate dental expense into the medical services line after a vendor voided a contract, and whether to create a new equipment line for a $21,000 request. The committee approved a motion to forward multiple general and specialty funds (general fund 1, funds 23, 40, 51, 52, and specialty funds 3, 11, 29, 34, 48, 53) with income and expense estimates to finance.

The sheriff also reported daily inmate counts rising, noting average daily population now “hovering between 115 and 125,” and said that increase informs supply, staffing and expense lines going forward.

Ending: The committee approved the motion to forward the budgets and voted to pay the sheriff’s bills; further budget decisions, squad-car outfitting and final payroll tallies will proceed through the finance department and subsequent meetings.