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Essex County approves budget transfer to cover jail overtime as commissioners press administration on staffing
Summary
The Board approved a transfer to cover correctional salaries and other expenses after treasurer Hassan Mohammed told commissioners the inmate population and unpaid leave have driven overtime costs; commissioners asked about staffing, mental‑health supports and how federal inmates affect operations.
The Essex County Board of County Commissioners approved a transfer of funds to cover increased correctional salaries and expenses after Treasurer Hassan Mohammed told the board the jail’s population and staff absenteeism have driven up overtime costs.
"The amount of inmates are actually increasing. We have, over 2,200, and they required, more overtime," Mohammed said while explaining that the transfer includes $1,600,000 for salaries and wages and roughly $1,000,006 for other correctional facility expenses to cover overtime and related costs.
The transfer (introduced as Resolution 1) was framed by county staff as necessary to ensure departments remain covered through the 2025 appropriation year. Commissioners voted to move the resolution by roll call, with Commissioners Richardson and Seybold absent.
Commissioner Mary Thomas asked detailed questions about workplace conditions and recruitment, pressing the administration to explain what it is doing to reduce absenteeism and make correctional work more sustainable. "If there's so few people coming into work, that flags to me ... a need for a better assessment around what's actually going on in the jail to contribute to the quality of life for the staff," she said.
County administration acknowledged the problem and said steps have been taken, including larger pay packages and an outside consultant (the Ambrose Group) to recommend ways to manage overtime and attendance. Jackson said additional programs — including mental‑health supports and discipline processes — are being evaluated, and that some of the overtime differential is tied to employees exhausting sick and vacation time and others covering shifts at time‑and‑a‑half.
Commissioner McInerney and others raised the additional question of case mix: the county now houses more federal inmates with serious offenses, which officials said requires different staffing approaches and contributes to operational strain.
The board approved the transfer after discussion and will review further reporting and committee work in early 2026. Administration said some of the additional costs will be covered in the county’s temporary and final 2026 budgets.
