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May 19, 2010 in City
Spokane County lays off jail workers
Drop in inmates, dire budget situation blamed for cuts
Spokane County will lay off 57 jail employees next month to offset a big drop in the number of inmates.
The employees were notified Tuesday evening, and formal layoff notices were to be distributed today.
Sheriff Ozzie Knezovich said his jail budget would have been $8 million in the hole by the end of year if county commissioners hadn’t approved the cuts.
The layoffs will include 30 corrections deputies at the Geiger Corrections Center – more than 40 percent of the deputies at the center. At the main Spokane County Jail, 14 of 140 deputies will lose their jobs.
The budget was based on the assumption that cities and the county general fund would pay about $120 a day to lock up an average of 930 inmates a day this year. But the actual average so far has been 768.
County officials couldn’t fully account for the reduction.
Knezovich said arrests are up 1 percent this year, but Prosecutor Steve Tucker said felony cases submitted by police and sheriff’s deputies are down 18 percent.
Knezovich attributed much of the reduced jail population to a program designed to speed up criminal cases. In that sense, he said, county officials were victims of their own success.
However, the “early case management” program faltered when budget cuts caused the prosecutor’s office to revert to its longtime practice of failing to charge many suspects within 72 hours.
Also, a companion community corrections program was scrapped because of budget cuts.
Commissioners unanimously voted Tuesday to transfer $2 million from the general fund to the jail enterprise fund, to restore the community corrections program and offset some of the jail budget’s deficit, now projected to be as low as $800,000. The money had been intended for incarcerating inmates who are no longer expected.
Other workers facing the ax are two registered nurses, six cooks, five clerical and maintenance workers, and a nursing manager supplied by a contractor.
“Obviously, this is a pretty catastrophic event for those folks,” union spokesman Gordon Smith said.
County officials attempted to soften the blow by having the layoffs take effect June 16 – one day into a new pay period so employees could receive an extra month of medical and dental insurance.
In addition to the layoffs, two vacant positions will remain unfilled. Medical, transportation, kitchen and laundry services are to be consolidated.
The jail started the year with a loss of 44 positions, including 32 layoffs because of cuts throughout county government.
The action was the least drastic of three options county commissioners considered Tuesday afternoon. It preserves 326 beds at Geiger Corrections Center, which officials hope will keep the main jail from exceeding its capacity of 650 if the inmate population goes back up.
The plan projects an $800,000 loss to the jail budget by the end of the year even if revenue increases about $200,000 by doubling the number of federally paid inmates to 160.
Commissioners called for monthly reports that could lead to further action in three months.
Commissioner Todd Mielke agreed with the commission’s chairman, Mark Richard, that an incremental approach was needed, but warned Knezovich and his staff not to assume they won’t have to close the $800,000 gap.
Commissioner Bonnie Mager wanted more information right away on how the $2 million transfer from the general fund would be spent.
The American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees today planned to invoke its right to bargain the effects the layoffs will have on remaining employees.
“What I’m having some trouble understanding is how this snuck up on the powers that be,” said Smith, staff representative for Local 492, which represents corrections deputies at the main jail.
He said the average daily inmate count at the jail and Geiger Corrections Center has been declining for nearly a year. If the county had acted sooner, reductions might have been phased in, Smith said.
Knezovich and Capt. John McGrath, the corrections commander, said they weren’t sure at first that the decline represented a trend instead of an aberration.
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zerla on May 19 at 8:54 a.m.
And WHY do we want to build a new jail?!?
spokanada on May 19 at 9:19 a.m.
This is good on all fronts. Felony crime prosecution is down, inmate population is down, the new prosecution plan is working, and the county will be able to save money.
I know it is tough for the employees, but they aren’t affordable and no longer needed.
I will echo zerla, why do we want to build a new jail?
Albert on May 19 at 9:22 a.m.
Zerla - VERY good point! I see that Ozzie has made yet another excellent financial decision rather than seek more revenue from the broke taxpayers. I appreciate his leadership. I had this great idea…why not allow Ozzie to take over the SPD, place the “evil coppers” on jail duties, and place the Sheriff’s personnel on patrol? We could enjoy a higher degree of “true public safety” (think about not getting beat up) and see some much-needed integrity at the top of the chain of command. Just a suggestion, however we would need to continually hear “Help, where’s my union”.
horse_feathers on May 19 at 9:46 a.m.
I think they could see this coming and kept it quiet while they were out crying for a new facility. I know Geiger’s lease will be up soon but if we keep heading in this direction we could have a different ball game.
empyrius on May 19 at 10:19 a.m.
“so employees could receive an extra month of medical and dental insurance” . . .
“The American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees” . . .
“Smith, staff representative for Local 492” . . .
Sounds like a bunch of communists!
west on May 19 at 10:35 a.m.
Seems when public employees get layed off, no jobs..its a catastrophic calamity. Millions of us in the private sector got layed off 2 years ago. Get over it and find a (unions always say private sector jobs pay more) job in private sector!! This is business..not a social circle.
fishindamission on May 19 at 12:55 p.m.
Talk about mismanagement! Jail staff gets called 5 minutes before the local Breaking News tells the them they’re getting laid off? 2 layoffs in 6 months? I can forecast my finances better than this. Just because you’re elected as a Sheriff or appointed as Jail Captain doesn’t make you a good manager or financial expert. I know enough that if I’m running low on finances, I sell things and tighten the strings. Are you going to sell the Sheriff’s helicopter? How about the 7 new Dodge Chargers the Jail Captain and Lieutenants drive. How about selling the Spokane Raceway money pit. The probability of ever using either the helicopter or Dodge Chargers to protect the public is minimal. I also know that if you layoff 57 Corrections Officers there is less need for supervision. Are going to layoff 1 Lieutenant or 1 Sergeant??
“Albert” what are talking about, place the “evil coppers” on jail duties??? Is that really what you think of the Corrections Officers in the Spokane County Jail?
Patriot61 on May 19 at 1:40 p.m.
So two layoffs now over 60 officers but the same amount of bosses? I see no mention of layoffs for supervisors Does anybody else see anything wrong with this picture?
Leon on May 19 at 7:02 p.m.
This has been a very murky picture ever since the Commissioners saw fit to hand Ozzie the jail. Funny thing, I heard after he got it he didn’t want it. They already cut the program staff at Geiger, these with the Gieger Corrections Officers helped pay their own way with work release, electronic home monitoring and work crews!! Geiger has been short of inmates for quite awhile, no wonder when they up the City of Spokane’s rate by about 30% and wonder why the City doesn’t house people if they can help it.
A new jail, I say the Cities of Spokane, Spokane Valley and Airway Heights enter into a partnership and contract with a private firm to provide jail space for them.
Leon on May 19 at 7:22 p.m.
Let me correct myself before some of the Ozzieists do it for me—the Commissioners saw fit to hand Geiger to Ozzie, unfortunately he already had the jail. Perhaps the County Commissioners should take over County Corrections!!
misjustice on May 19 at 8:36 p.m.
“Trend” versus “Aberration”; either way, the smaller jail population negates the need for tax payers to fund a new facility…
de3 on May 19 at 10:45 p.m.
Good heavens, the economy is so bad in Spokane that even the criminals and inmates are leaving …
Quick, build a new, bigger jail as a make-work project to create jobs!
MrDavis on May 20 at 6:52 a.m.
The County Commissioners are careful to make cuts where they’ll be felt. If they cut wasteful projects, like the racetrack, the public will wonder why they were funding frivolous, non-essential projects to begin with. We need a new commission that can distinguish luxuries from necessities.
misjustice on May 20 at 12:46 p.m.
Maybe the Commissioners can make positions at the fancy schmancy racetrack for those that are losing their jobs due to the funding cuts?
Leon on May 20 at 8:51 p.m.
Who are you kidding? Knezovich talked the Commissioners into buying that track so he could have a regional training facility. He is still asking for the racetrack. People who think the sheriff is so great need to really take a look at him and his jail captain to see what poor managers of money and people they really are.