Commissioners table request to buy two jail transport vans until fiscal plan is completed

Chris Raine, the agenda presenter on jail transportation, asked the Pulaski County commissioners to approve buying two transport vehicles using federal inmate-reimbursement money, saying the county’s current vans have very high mileage and repeated mechanical problems.

“Almost 37,000 miles in 2025,” Raine said while outlining the county’s transport workload, and he described frequent out-of-state federal runs. He said the fleet includes older vans running “more than” 160,000 to 170,000 miles and that the county has no dedicated full-time transport unit, forcing staff to use jail personnel for long trips.

Commissioners and staff debated timing and funding. A county staff member said the federal reimbursement is a reimbursement for housing inmates that offsets county general-fund spending; finance staff cautioned that the line item must be moved or appropriated before it can be spent. One commissioner urged caution, noting the board had contracted a $54,000 fiscal plan that will arrive before the next budget cycle and recommending the county use that plan to inform any large purchases.

A fellow commissioner warned of safety and liability risks if vehicles break down while transporting inmates, saying the current situation “is like playing Russian roulette with the inmates” and urging replacement.

Given those competing concerns, Chris Raine moved to delay purchasing vehicles until the county’s fiscal plan arrives; another commissioner seconded the motion. The chair called for a voice vote and the motion to table the purchase carried. The meeting record does not contain a complete roll-call tally for that vote; the chair and the mover recorded affirmative responses on the voice vote.

The commissioners said the fiscal plan should be available before the next budget cycle and that the director will return with specific cost figures and recommendations once the plan is complete.