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Douglas County corrections director reports July budget shortfall, higher pretrial releases and new mental-health construction
Summary
Director Michael Myers told county commissioners July spending is $568,766 over budget (largely timing of invoices), overtime rose to $288,718, and pretrial release and reentry programs produced record bed‑day savings. He also described staff training changes, an orientation housing rollout and the county jail's mental-health addition under way.
Michael Myers, Director of Corrections for Douglas County, told the Board of Corrections on Aug. 19 that the department ended July $568,766 over budget, which he attributed to invoice timing and said staff will explore efficiencies to return to budgetary expectations.
Myers said overtime for July totaled $288,718, about $30,000 more than the previous month. "There were $288,718 spent on overtime costs which was an increase of about $30,000 from the previous month," Myers said.
He reported a suite of operational metrics and program activity for July: the jail was 99% staffed across correctional ranks as of July 31; five officers below sergeant left employment in July (including one retirement) and only two staff left voluntarily; bond payments exceeding $940,000 were processed by the records division; and the county processed 1,454 admissions and 1,459 releases in July with an average daily population of about 1,110.
Myers highlighted pretrial release and reentry activity as producing notable capacity savings. "We theoretically project that pretrial release saved 4,647 jail bed days," he said, adding that the department estimates that saved $789,990 in detention costs. Pretrial releases, GPS monitoring and sobriety program participation all reached one‑year highs in July, Myers said.
Myers said a planned vendor go‑live for new pretrial release software slipped approximately one month while the county finalizes the interface between its existing IMS system and the vendor product.
On programming and reentry: the Sanction Center and Transitional Discharge Center placed 13 people into community corrections in July and saved 51 jail bed days; work release admitted 25 people and house arrest 36; the RAP reentry assistance program admitted 13; 65 people entered therapeutic community housing units; and education services recorded 6 GED completions with 106 people currently on the GED waitlist (76 active students).
Myers outlined medical and mental‑health activity: 1,147 intake screenings, 430 health and physical assessments, 25 emergent medical transports with seven hospital admissions totaling 38 hospital days, 168 initial psychiatric assessments, 346 initial mental‑health assessments and 117 individuals placed on suicide precautions in July. He said two individuals were placed on drug and alcohol detox protocols and there was one referral to the Board of Mental Health that was approved.
On security operations, Myers said the crisis negotiation team was deployed seven times and the emergency response team (CERT) six times in July; most incidents were resolved without force. Jail staff recovered contraband including a homemade shank and items that tested positive for cocaine residue.
On training and staffing development, Myers said 164 applications for correctional officer positions were received and the department began a third‑quarter academy in early August (about 23–24 cadets anticipated). The department has adopted a new tactical curriculum called TAP (Tactical Athlete Program) emphasizing de‑escalation and officer wellness; Myers said about 15% of staff have completed the 32‑hour TAP course and the department plans all staff training by year end.
Myers said the jail opened orientation housing units on July 1 so most people now spend the first 24–48 hours in a dedicated orientation unit where medical, mental‑health and reentry teams conduct information sessions. He said the orientation units allow more careful classification, additional contraband screening including a second strip search and body scan before placement in ongoing housing.
On facility construction, Myers said the mental‑health addition celebrated a "topping out" ceremony July 2; concrete work is under way and exterior completion is expected this fall. He also notified commissioners of upcoming audits: a PREA (Prison Rape Elimination Act) audit late this year or early next year, a National Commission on Correctional Health Care review in 2026, and an American Correctional Association audit in October or November 2026.
After the report, commissioners asked Myers for additional details on selected metrics (for example the U.S. Marshals population), and pressed for historical graphs to compare current budget and staffing to prior fiscal years. Myers said fiscal services staff would provide an explanation for the July budget variance.
Commissioners and Myers also discussed gaps in the Lincoln Regional Center and the state system for long‑term psychiatric placements; Myers said 13 people were on the local waitlist for Lincoln Regional Center and noted that limited state capacity can lengthen jail stays for people with long‑term psychiatric needs.
The report concluded with commissioners thanking Myers; no formal policy action was taken during the presentation.
