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Cowlitz County jail shows staffing shortfalls, higher overtime as revenues, capital projects shift
Summary
County finance staff told commissioners the jail is under budget on some line items but is operating with seven vacant corrections officer positions filled largely by temps and overtime; 2024 jail overtime cost was reported at $641,000 and a planned inmate tracking system purchase moved into 2025.
Kathy Funk Baxter, Cowlitz County finance director, told the Board of County Commissioners on Feb. 3 that the county’s jail is under budget in several spending categories but is carrying unfilled corrections positions and elevated overtime costs.
The jail’s intergovernmental revenues were reported as a positive variance; goods-and-services billings to other cities remain outstanding and are expected to be accrued by the auditor. Baxter said other financing sources include reimbursements tied to the county’s behavioral mental health tax. Baxter and Marin (jail operations) said the financials are still being produced through December for the fiscal year.
The budget picture: Baxter said personnel was the largest expense and that the jail’s personnel budget was roughly $6.0 million while year-to-date actual personnel costs were about $6.5 million. She told commissioners the department had used temporary staff and overtime to cover staffing gaps and that 2024 jail overtime costs totaled $641,000, an amount already included in the reported personnel actuals. Supplies and medical services were both reported under budget, and a planned capital purchase — a Guardian RFID inmate-tracking system — will be contracted and expensed in 2025 at an estimated $34,000–$35,000, down from a prior internal estimate.
On staffing, Baxter said the corrections roster is built on 42 approved corrections-officer FTEs and that seven positions were open at one point; she later reported about five vacancies remain as hires come and go and some staff are off for medical or military leave. Marin said deputies used temporary employees first, then overtime and forced overtime as shifts fell short. Marin also said the county has a strict minimum staffing level for shifts tied to court schedules.
Commissioners asked for more detail on overtime spending; Baxter agreed to provide an itemized overtime total for 2024. Commissioners and staff also discussed that the county has struggled to recruit corrections officers (a trend Baxter called widespread) and that the county’s agreement with the union allows temporary staffing through the end of 2025 while recruitment continues.
The presentation closed with staff noting that outstanding intergovernmental billings to local cities and to the Department of Corrections remain to be posted by auditors and that the jail continues to use a mix of temps and overtime to meet minimum staffing standards.
Baxter and Marin answered commissioner questions throughout the presentation; no formal board vote or ordinance change occurred at the meeting.
