To the editor:
In the matter of the new jail staffing needs, it seems like projects such as these are always presented as worst-case scenarios, leaving taxpayers concerned about affording higher income taxes, property taxes and whatever other tax the councils can come up with.
Now that the absurdity of a $70 million law center/jail is behind us, let’s just proceed openly and fairly with getting the new jail built. Sure, its going to cost a couple million for utility hookups, and there’s bound to be a couple other bumps in the road before the project is completed that weren’t planned for. But demanding almost twice the jail staffing to just open up is not correct or needed.
Just because we are building a 440-bed jail does not mean that will be the starting capacity. Don’t confuse the smartness of building more space than needed now with a knee-jerk reaction of demanding staffing for a full population of 440 in two years.
Common sense and trends would more likely put inmate numbers at 300 to 350. You can always hire more staff in five to 10 years if needed. I thought we were smartly building this to last several decades . Just like our hospital, it may have 100-plus beds, but how often are they really short and having to divert to other hospitals?
I’m sure they don’t have the maximum amount of nurses and aides on duty 24/7 if they only have 70 beds occupied. I have no problem with the sheriff’s request as compared to other counties’ staffing, but let’s compare actual inmate numbers, not maximum occupation numbers that, in all likelihood, won’t be reached during the current council’s terms of service or the sheriff’s.
Dennis V. Dunn
Greenfield
