Commissioners on the Lorain County Board on Dec. 5 approved reallocating $189,000 from a TCAP special revenue fund to the county jail to cover payroll through the end of the year. County and sheriff’s office staff said the money represents grant funds that were intended to reimburse the jail for a position but had not been processed.

The reallocation was described during discussion of appropriations. An unidentified county official told commissioners the budget carried about $1.8 million in unaccounted salaries when the current administration took office and staff have shifted line items and reduced nonpayroll spending to make payroll the top priority. The same official said the $189,000 “was sitting in this TCAP special revenue fund” and credited Angela Hammond, the sheriff’s assistant, for locating the reimbursement records.

A chief deputy from the sheriff’s department, who addressed the board without giving a name on the record, confirmed the $189,000 related to grant reimbursements and said the adjustment would “shore that up and make certain we were on an even keel for the year.” He emphasized that the prior budget undercounted salaries and that the county had already made significant reductions elsewhere to cover payroll.

Commissioner Moore and other commissioners thanked sheriff’s staff for locating the funds. Commissioners voted by voice to approve the appropriation and related transfers.

County officials said the $189,000 covers payroll this year and reduces pressure on the general fund; they described the reallocation as using existing grant revenue rather than creating a new local levy or line-item increase. No change to headcount or new hiring was recorded as part of the action.

The board approved the transfer by the usual motion and voice vote; commissioners present recorded “Aye.” The county said the TCAP funding had been received in prior years and had not been spent down, and staff characterized the move as an accounting correction and a responsible use of restricted revenue.