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HOUSING PRISONERS CREATING MONEY CRUNCH IN WV |
| (03/01/2005) |
| While Calhoun's jail bill has more than doubled in the past two years, Cabel County is facing a $530,000 regional jail debt that could hit nearly one-point-nine million dollars by June 30th. Kanawha County's jail bill is about four million dollars. Calhoun's bill has gone from $65,000 to $145,000, and has continued to increase. The Cabel County Commission is looking at deep budget cuts to keep out of the red on its regional jail costs. Calhoun has laid off county workers, eliminated health care benefits for elected officials and increased valuations on certain kinds of property. Calhoun's elected officials did not get their paychecks yesterday because of a cash flow problem. Cabel County is trying to avoid a budget deficit, proposing to cut spending by 22 percent for the remainder of this fiscal year. Some of the county's elected officials say they will be forced to cut services and even close their offices. Several officials say they may even take the county to court. Cabel commissioners say cutting the budget would save about $950,000 by June 7th. Several other counties are suffering problems because of jail expenses. The regional jail system was created to replace the state's aging 55 county jails because it was too expensive to remodel or rebuild them to meet federal standards. Counties are mandated to use the system. |
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