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Lamar County sheriff seeks bids for jail repairs, announces opioid sensor plan and warns against unfunded transport mandates
Summary
Sheriff Marty Goslow reported a major heater‑coil leak and ongoing roof/heating problems at county facilities, said bids will be sought for permanent repairs, announced attorney‑general‑approved opioid sensors for the jail funded by opioid monies, and questioned state guidance requiring long‑distance patient transports as an unfunded mandate.
Sheriff Marty Goslow reported to the commission that county facilities are experiencing serious heating and roof problems and that a previously patched heater coil has failed again. The sheriff said the county will solicit bids for permanent repair work and is meeting with a contractor from Birmingham to inspect the roof. "We started transitioning...and found another major leak in 1 of our heater coils...you can patch it so many times, but it's rotten and it just needs to be fixed," he said.
Public‑safety technology: the sheriff also told the commission that, after a statewide sheriff's meeting, the attorney general approved use of opioid‑related funds to install remote respiratory sensors in the jail. He said four sensors would be placed to alarm automatically in the event of respiratory arrest in a detainee; the sensors would be paid from opioid monies approved through the sheriff's association.
Intergovernmental concern: the sheriff and other commissioners raised problems with transporting state mental‑health patients long distances. The sheriff described recent requests to transport a patient from a local group home to facilities in Jasper and onward to Decatur or Huntsville and said the county is resistant to absorbing those costs. "If they do it, they need to pay us," he told the commission, voicing concern about what he described as potential unfunded state mandates that would impose personnel and fuel costs on the county.
Budgetary context and next steps: presenters discussed alternatives including industrial‑scale heat pumps and programmable thermostats to reduce long‑term fuel costs, but agreed funding will determine whether retrofits or phased replacement occur. The sheriff said he will gather bids for the heating and roof work and follow up with county staff; no formal appropriation or contract award for building repairs occurred during the regular meeting.
