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| Laurel jailer asks for another $500K |
| By thetimestribune.com |
| Published: 05/04/2009 |
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Says jail is over budget for sixth year By Carl Keith Greene / Staff Writer At a called meeting Friday morning, the Laurel County Fiscal Court and staff members of the Laurel County jail heard proposals to save money on inmate medical care and food. The jail has been over budget for the past five fiscal years, and with two months left in the current fiscal year, the jail will likely need another infusion of funds from the county. Judge-Executive Lawrence Kuhl opened the meeting by announcing, “For the last couple of months we have informed Jailer Jack Sizemore that his expenditures were exceeding his income and approved appropriations in his budget.” Kuhl said the court has asked Sizemore to see what expenses he can cut back. Sizemore, Kuhl said, “responded that he could see no other areas that can be cut back and not prevent the facility from meeting their legal obligations.” Kuhl said Sizemore estimated he would need another $500,000 for this fiscal year. Sizemore was not at the meeting, and could not be reached for comment Friday afternoon. The past five fiscal years have seen a total of $1.4 million extended to the jail, an average of $254,599 per year. Kuhl noted that for the past 28 months — all of 2007, 2008 and January through April of this year — the jail has paid out $591,764.13 in overtime pay to employees. The overtime hours for those 28 months totaled 37,394. Kuhl introduced two companies that could become alternative sources for the jail’s needs and perhaps save money in the process. James Kemper, of Southern Health Partners, which furnishes medical personnel for jails and other detention facilities, said his company operates in more than 160 jails in 11 states. That includes 29 counties in Kentucky. He said the company can reduce cost and liability exposure of the facilities because it operates nearly entirely within the facility. It has operated in the Pulaski County jail for about three years, Kemper said. The company furnishes all personnel, including nurses and physicians, as well as prescription drugs, laboratory services and medical supplies. The company proposes having staff at the jail for 16 hours per day, and a physician who will visit the jail at least once per week and is on-call 24 hours a day. Nurses would also be on-call 24 hours a day. The company’s charges for medical, dental and coordinating mental health care for 350 inmates per year would be $382,000. That would include up to $50,000 for care outside the jail. After reaching that figure the jail would have to pick up the charges itself. The company would cover up to $1 million in liability in individual cases, up to a total of $5 million, and would furnish a staff of eight. Kemper said his company reduced costs at the Hardin County jail in Elizabethtown by some $700,000. A company that contracts with jails to provide food services also made a presentation to the court Friday. Joe Broadwell, of Kellwell Food Management, said “Our job is to make the jailer’s job easier.” He called his business “a turn-key operation. We’ll come in, open the kitchen, provide the three meals, clean your kitchen and make sure we pass your inspections, then close the kitchen down and secure the facility.” The Kellwell staff will be on duty for 16 hours each day, Broadwell said. Broadwell was asked about how to feed prisoners who may not be able to eat at one of the three meals scheduled because they may have entered the jail just after a meal and need to be fed.Read more. If link has expired, check the website of the article's original news source. |
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