Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Community Justice Center topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Budget committee votes to defund sheriff positions tied to Community Justice Center after split debate
Summary
After extended debate about operating costs, lease obligations and program benefits, the Budget & Finance Committee voted 3-2 to remove sheriff staffing tied to the Community Justice Center; supporters argued fiscal caution while opponents said the CJC is an important therapeutic-court experiment.
The Budget & Finance Committee narrowly approved a motion to remove sheriff positions associated with the new Community Justice Center (CJC), a move supporters described as a fiscal restraint and opponents said would undermine a promising therapeutic-court model.
Sheriff Mike Hennessy and the budget analyst described the proposed staffing and costs for the CJC. The budget analyst characterized the proposed four deputy-sheriff bailiff positions as a board-level policy decision given added general-fund costs; the analyst estimated new general fund costs of about $514,547 for the sheriff's portion of the CJC in FY2009-10 and underscored alternatives (e.g., operating fewer days per week) that could materially reduce the city's cost exposure.
Sheriff Hennessy warned that budget uncertainty, Prop J outcomes and other labor-contract issues make his department's staffing and overtime projections volatile. He described contractual obligations already made for CJC build-out and a lease with annual payments estimated at $225,000 through 2013; he also noted prior appropriations for build-out costs.
Supporters of the CJC, including Supervisor Bevan Dufty and Commissioner (now Judge) Ron Albers, described early operational gains, faster processing and strong linkage to services for people coming into court; Albers said the Center rapidly reduced processing time and increased voluntary engagement in shelter, benefits and reentry services among clients.
After hours of debate the chair called a roll-call vote to defund the sheriff positions tied to the CJC. The motion passed 3 to 2 on a recorded roll call. Committee members said the decision reflected concerns about timing, budget pressure and unresolved contractual/legal questions; several members said the issue could be revisited if other parts of the budget or funding sources change.
Next steps: The committee will address remaining contract and lease items related to the CJC in subsequent hearings; staff were asked to return with legal clarifications about obligations and with updated cost figures.
