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Sherman County expands jail counseling pilot with opioid settlement funds; officials report billing, staffing and commissary updates
Summary
Sheriff/administrator reported a counseling pilot in the county jail has expanded and is being funded with opioid settlement dollars; commissioners also discussed jail-housing billing reimbursements, a new Crown Sterling commissary system, staffing shortages and maintenance issues in county facilities.
Sherman County officials told commissioners the county’s jail has expanded a counseling pilot that staff said is funded using opioid settlement dollars.
"We're able to use that opioid settlement," said Speaker 7, describing a pilot counseling program run by Lacey that began as one hour a week and has since expanded to include additional group time and voluntary one-on-one sessions. County staff emphasized participation has been strong and that individual counseling sessions retain confidentiality.
Sheriff/administrator (Speaker 4) reported that nearly $25,000 in jail-housing bills for the beginning of the year had been sent and largely reimbursed, but that one Cheyenne County bill remained unpaid. "Michelle said she's been there almost 3 years, and she asked about it when she started," Speaker 4 said while describing when the billing lapse was discovered. Commissioners did not announce a formal remedy during the meeting; staff indicated follow-up would occur.
Speaker 4 also reported that a new jail commissary system, identified in the record as Crown Sterling, has been installed and is functioning. "It's Crown Sterling," the speaker said, adding vendor staff were responsive during setup. The board discussed staffing for road and jail operations; Speaker 4 said the county is about three staff short on road crews but currently has coverage while recruits are processed for training.
Facility maintenance issues were raised: intermittent sewer-gas smells in a county building prompted plans to engage McClure's to explore vents and potentially use a smoke machine to locate the source.
No formal policy changes or budget appropriations for the counseling program were announced at the meeting. Commissioners approved routine administrative items later in the agenda and then adjourned to a work session.
The sheriff/administrator said staffing, billing reconciliation and vendor follow-up would continue as part of routine operations. Commissioners did not vote on new funding for the counseling pilot during the meeting.
