Russell County accepts jail and sheriff monthly reports; jail budget presented with cuts

Russell County Fiscal Court accepted routine monthly reports from the jail and the sheriff and heard a presentation on the jail budget for fiscal year 2025–26.

The jail report recorded an average inmate population of 94 and itemized medical and commissary figures cited by the jail official: a catastrophic claim of $512.79, nurse visits $153.52, prescription copay totals and other collections. The transcript lists a combined total revenue figure of $55,874.35 for the period discussed and noted 39 overtime hours due to staff illnesses. The jail official also gave an inmate breakout including 37 state inmates, 9 from Clinton County and 54 Russell County inmates for a total of 100 at the time of that report.

The sheriff's report for February 2025 recorded 426 calls for service, 15 arrests and a range of other activity including 58 traffic stops, 14 accidents without injuries and five accidents with injury; the office reported 112 prisoner transports, 130 vehicle inspections and issuance of 14 concealed-deadly-weapons permits. The sheriff's office also reported collecting $532,483.16 in property taxes for the month.

Treasurer and jail-budget notes: the county presented the jail budget early in the process because state Local Government (DLG) procedures require a presentation before the full fiscal-court budget. Court staff told members the jail budget would be reduced by $880,563; the presentation was described as informational and does not, by itself, finalize the full county budget.

The court approved acceptance of the jail report and the sheriff's report by voice vote and recorded motions to accept those reports in the meeting minutes.