Former matron disputes recent budget hearing claims; sheriff provides historical payroll data and explains commissary and work-release practices

Wanda Mitchell, who identified herself as the jail matron for 16 years under two sheriffs, told the council she wanted to correct what she said were inaccurate statements made during the Sept. 23 budget hearing about her pay and commissary practices.

Mitchell said she provided council members a copy of the 2018 salary ordinance to show she was not receiving deputy pay when she left the sheriff's office in 2018. She said commissary management at the jail differed over the years and that neither she nor the previous commissary manager contracted with inmates or added nicotine products while they oversaw commissary operations. Mitchell said the Indiana State Board of Accounts audited the sheriff's office and commissary records during her tenure and that any corrections requested were made.

Sheriff Kelly responded later in the meeting, saying he had reviewed Indiana Gateway payroll data going back to 2012. He read year-by-year figures that showed the matron pay and deputy pay were effectively the same in multiple years (for example, 2012 matron pay listed as $39,009 and deputy pay $39,008.50). He acknowledged that in 2018 the matron pay lines changed and said Mitchell's claim about 2018 was correct in that the figures diverged that year.

On commissary operations, Sheriff Kelly said the commissary menu and pricing are set in part by the warehouse vendor's marketing team, but that the jail performs bulk commissary orders on-site and also places a separate warehouse order for items not stocked on-site. He said he would welcome council members to observe commissary operations and offered to show the process later the same day.

The sheriff also addressed work-release proceeds. He said an agreement in prior years provided a 50/50 split of work-release income between the sheriff's office and the county in some administrations but that he did not find written ordinance authority for that split when reviewing records; he said the county had not issued a check under that arrangement during his review.

Neither Mitchell nor Sheriff Kelly proposed policy changes at the meeting; Mitchell's remarks were delivered during the public comment portion of the agenda, and the sheriff's remarks were made during the department head report.