FARMINGTON — Franklin County commissioners agreed Tuesday to transfer $100,000 from the jail’s undesignated fund to its operating budget to cover expenses through June 30.
The jail budget had $4,238 after commissioners approved a warrant to pay bills Tuesday, Deputy Treasurer Vickie Braley told commissioners.
It was anticipated that the jail budget would be short because the jail returned to a full-service operation from a 72-hour holding facility in April and there were startup expenses, including medical services for inmates.
The state Board of Corrections opted to keep the county’s final $315,288 payment made in January for Jan. 1 through June 30, after it approved reopening the jail to full-service in January. It was the county’s share toward the state’s consolidated county jail system.
The county had held back $100,000 from the $730,576 the state requested for 2014-15. The amount was $100,000 more than the county previously paid in. The state believed that since the county had built up an undesignated fund of about $500,000 it could pay more into the system to help other jails. The undesignated money can only be used for corrections. About half of it was put into reserve accounts for special projects such as replacing the jail roof.
The state allowed the county to keep the $100,000.
The county is trying to work within a $1.6 million cap the state set in 2008 for the jail.
Commissioners also voted Tuesday to allow Maj. Doug Blauvelt, manager of the jail, to set up a checking account for inmate funds.
When an inmate comes into the jail, they normally have some cash with them, Blauvelt said. Having the inmate checking account would allow authorized jail representatives to issue a check to the inmate when they leave, he said.
The money is not the county’s money, both Blauvelt and county Treasurer Pam Prodan said.
The jail does not accept cash sent to an inmate; it has to a money order, Blauvelt said.
The jail has a checking account designated for the inmates’ work program.
dperry@sunmediagroup.net
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