Inmates Fund Youth Center Money From Geiger Work Crews Pays For Day Detention Facility
Spokane County commissioners Tuesday funneled money from a county-owned prison to Superior Court to create an innovative day confinement center for young criminals.
The county’s precarious financial position appeared to doom the project until commission chairman Phil Harris suggested a cooperative financing arrangement.
Geiger Corrections Center went along and agreed to give $130,000 of its revenues generated by county inmate work crews to Tom Davis, director of juvenile court services.
Davis has proposed renovating a basement garage into a giant classroom that would educate and teach job skills to juvenile offenders by day. They would be sent home and electronically monitored at night.
“I’m happy,” Davis said. “We’re up and running.”
Actually, the center will open about Nov. 1 and free up more beds for hard-core juvenile offenders.
Gary Oberg, director of the county’s department of corrections and social services, said the $130,000 would have been used on prison construction projects.
“This is a goodwill gesture on behalf of Geiger and its employees,” he said.
Commissioner Steve Hasson applauded teamwork and fair play in an era of turf wars among county agencies, saying, “this helps Spokane County become more of a family.”
By finding money for Davis’ project, commissioners only ridded themselves of one fiscal crisis.
Several law and order agencies have their hands out:
Sheriff John Goldman wants $505,000 to cover overtime for deputies and corrections officers for the remainder of the year.
Superior Court wants $96,000 to cover pay raises for judges and escalating jury costs and witness fees.
District Court wants $9,000 for judges’ pay raises.
“Do you understand that we have no money?” Marshall Farnell, the county’s director of budget and finance, asked commissioners.
He didn’t have to ask.
Sales tax revenues are down $1 million this year, a victim of poor housing starts and car sales. Inflated property assessments also are affecting the budget.
The county’s emergency reserve is down to less than half a million dollars, threatening the coveted bond rating on Wall Street. More than 80 unfilled jobs recently were stripped from the rolls.
Harris suggested that electric pencil sharpeners be replaced with hand-cranked ones.
“If we’re gonna talk fiscal management, then we need to get at it,” he said.
But Harris said while the sheriff is cooperating with the austerity program, he must change the way he figures his budget each year.
Goldman and longtime former Sheriff Larry Erickson appeared before commissioners every late summer for more money, Harris said.
“The sheriff just has to get a better Ouija board next year,” he said. “Every year, it’s poor budgeting and I’m not going to tolerate it. I’ll vote against every damn request next year.”
Goldman and Erickson were out of town and could not be reached for comment.
Commissioner George Marlton said Goldman represented a new, more youthful era in county law enforcement and would be receptive to the challenge.
“John is a younger man (than Erickson),” he said. “I think he’s a lot brighter.”
, DataTimes