PRINCE EDWARD -County supervisors took the first potentially expensive steps to house inmates at the Piedmont Regional Jail at their December meeting.

To the unhappy tune of approving $400,000 for the remaining portion of the current fiscal year.

“I think as we all have been warned by… the superintendent of the jail-way back in probably about April-that the time was rapidly approaching where localities would actually have to start paying…for the operation of the jail,” County Administrator Wade Bartlett told county supervisors. “For the last 25 years, the jail has operated and the counties have been fortunate enough not to have to actually pay. And, in fact, the counties put up approximately $300,000 each to build the jail and…all the counties have been reimbursed that initial seed money. In addition, funds were withdrawn from the jail to build the juvenile detention center.”

He later added, “So we've had a good ride and most of that was because of-the reason that ride's over is not just the loss of the detainees-immigration, because of opening of the ICE. A large portion of this problem is (the) reduction in the amount of per diem that the state is paying per prisoner. It used to be as high as $40, then it went to $28. Now it's $12. And…no operation can take that kind of revenue hit without it impacting. Now, there have been issues out there, we all know that, they're being addressed and, hopefully, these numbers that you're gonna hear are worst-case.”

Bartlett would add that they are in “serious negotiations with” one locality, adding that it “appears that they are going to be successful, but they have not signed a contact at this time which would give us about another 100 and as many as 200 new prisoners from that locality, which is a Virginia locality.”

Asked if that were enough to solve their problem, Bartlett conceded, “yes.”

They should know, Bartlett added, in the next week or two. That locality has problems with overcrowding issues, he further detailed.

Assuming there are no additional prisoners, however, a high side cost for Prince Edward would be $400,000 for the remainder of the budget year. If they get additional (100) prisoners, he would detail, “that would probably just about go away.”

The County administrator presented an option for funding the figure that factored $60,000 built into the budget and looked to other areas where collections have exceeded budgeted amounts. That list included $90,000 from public service corporations, $58,000 in grantees recordation tax (which he offered is due to large projects ongoing at Longwood), $12,000 with the sale of land for delinquent taxes, $9,000 in funds presented to the County from the Prince Edward State Forest (in lieu of taxes), $14,000 on motor vehicle carrier tax, $41,000 in fire programs (the state failed to send funds last year and the figure represents two years), $86,000 from the fund balance and the transfer of $30,000 budgeted for the juvenile detention center (where he noted that it's been a better year than normal and have had two or three months in a row where they had no detainees at the center).

The $400,000 total, Bartlett detailed, “which based on the average inmate population is more than enough to cover for this year not counting any additional increases out there…of prisoners so, hopefully, this will see us through and, hopefully, we won't need that. We'll find that out, I hope, within the next month.”

Supervisors agreed, by motion, to make the budget announcements and appropriate those funds for the regional jail.

The motion carried with Prospect Supervisor Howard “Pete” Campbell opposing.