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| Ark. Prison Board OKs Reimbursement |
| By Associated Press |
| Published: 04/10/2002 |
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The Arkansas Board of Corrections voted to accept a $5 million plan offered by Gov. Mike Huckabee to reimburse county jails for housing state inmates. Counties have been squabbling with the state over money owed them for holding hundreds of state prisoners in local jails until room is available in overcrowded state prisons. As of March 29, 466 state inmates were in county jails. Last week, the governor proposed using $5 million to cover about 77 percent of the nearly $6.5 million owed the counties at the time. The Corrections Board backed the plan recently, and payments could begin flowing by early May. 'We're very lucky to get this money,' board member Benny Magness said. The plan would be paid for using general improvement funds, money set aside for local or government projects. Huckabee said the move likely would shortchange other projects, but he declined to say which ones. The plan needs to be reviewed by legislative committees because it would require a change in an existing appropriation. A subcommittee of the Arkansas Legislative Council is expected to consider the plan Tuesday. Sheriffs desperate to keep jails open and pay employees had threatened to sue the state to force repayment of debts. 'The sheriffs did not want to have to go through that court battle,' said Chuck Lange, executive director of the Arkansas Sheriffs Association. 'We're glad things turned out the way they did.' |
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