Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Corrections Finance topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Cowlitz County jail reports healthy revenues, continues correctional staffing push
Summary
Finance staff told commissioners that jail revenues are on track, driven by MOUD funding and room-and-board charges, while the corrections division continues recruiting to reduce vacancies and expects several officers to start by mid-November. Officials said services spending includes nearly 10 months of the medical contract already paid.
Cowlitz County's finance staff reported Monday that the jail's revenue streams are generally on track while the corrections division continues efforts to fill open posts.
Cathy Funk Baxter reviewed the corrections financials, saying the jail had $321,000 budgeted in intergovernmental revenue and had received about $283,000 through Oct. 23, most of it — roughly $257,000 — for medications for opioid use disorder (MOUD). Goods-and-services receipts, chiefly daily room-and-board charges billed to surrounding cities and commissary activity, were above expectations at about $1.324 million of a $1.48 million budget.
On the expense side, Baxter said personnel and benefits remain the largest line: the jail is budgeted for roughly $7.3 million in personnel costs and had posted about $5.4 million in actuals so far. She noted the October payroll had not yet posted and cautioned that final tallies will change with that posting. Services lines include medical and food-service contracts; Baxter said the county had already paid approximately 10 months of the medical contract through October, which drives the services totals.
Staffing remains a focus: the jail reported 51 filled positions and five open positions in the report period, with four correction-officer vacancies noted and two hires expected by mid-November. "We have some pretty good candidates, so we're cautiously optimistic that we will be down to 0 openings by the end of the year," Baxter said.
Offender-services revenue streams were discussed separately: the county reported about $60,000 in budgeted intergovernmental revenue and $24,000 received to date, including state-distributed funds related to DUI and criminal justice statutes and reimbursements from the Department of Ecology tied to work crews that do roadside litter pickup. Baxter said the county has resumed two work crews five days per week and is billing Ecology quarterly for that service.
The county also reported that some correctional spending lines (supplies and services) remain below budget, that capital spending for the jail has been limited through October, and that commissary and phone commission revenue had exceeded budget. Commissioners asked staff about the fiscal effect of filling vacancies on overtime; Baxter said she expected overtime to decline as vacancies are filled and temporary staffing that had been used to cover shortages will be discontinued under current agreements.
Staff did not present any formal motions or votes on Monday regarding staffing or budget changes; they said they will continue recruitment and return with updated financials as payroll postings and recruitments complete.
