Regional jail approves 2020 break-even budget

The Daviess-DeKalb Regional Jail Board approved the 2020 budget during their meeting held Dec. 20. The jail, located at Pattonsburg, should make about $790 next year.
This down-to-the-wire budgeting has been the same for the past several years: $730 proposed in 2019 and $14,000 in 2018.
As in year’s past, the jail would lose money in 2020 if left to its own devices.
It is important to remember that the jail has two sources of income.
One source is the money it makes off the business of housing inmates in the jail proper.
Inmates pay a daily housing rate of $45.
Inmates also buy items from the commissary. The canteen, where inmates may purchase products such as hygiene items, snacks, writing instruments, etc., is budgeted to earn $120,000; e-cigarettes $42,000; turnkey phone $95,000. Encartele, a technology company providing inmate telecommunication, video visitation, content broadcasting and jail technology software, is budgeted at $37,000.
The second source of funding for the jail is the money it makes off the county taxpayers through the sales tax.
The jail is expected to make about $2 million off the commissary and inmate housing.
Its expenses are expected to be about $3 million. The jail would be about $1 million in the hole. It is saved by the sales tax revenue, which is expected to generate about $1 million.
Revenue
The jail houses prisoners from the City of Chillicothe; Caldwell, Gentry, Livingston, Mercer, Putnam, Ray, and Sullivan counties. Livingston County is the biggest spender at $500,000.
As hosts of the jail, Daviess and DeKalb do not pay to house their inmates; however, detainees are required to pay their own board bill. Daviess and DeKalb receive ‘write-offs’ or reimbursements that take away about two-thirds of their bills.
Expenses
Major expenses for the jail are Administration and office at $64,000; Automobile $50,000; liability insurance $119,000; commissary goods $124,000; employee insurance $386,000; employee related expenses and benefits about $2 million; total inmate medical $233,000; food cost $325,000; total utilities $122,475; fixed asset purchases $87,000.
The next board meeting was set for Friday, January 31, 2020, at 10 a.m.
Present at the Dec. 20 budget meeting were Daviess County Sheriff Ben Becerra; DeKalb County Presiding Commissioner Kyle Carroll; Daviess County Presiding Commissioner James Ruse; DeKalb County Sheriff Andy Clark; Edmon Howard, Jr., Director; Timothy Carder, Deputy Director; Lori Burke, Administrative Assistant.