From a lengthy article in the Northwest Indiana Times:
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Dante Rondelli, the council's fiscal adviser, said this year's budget already is $5 million in the red because of anemic property tax collections. Federal demands for more jail spending, including the hiring of 18 more corrections officers, threaten to add another $6 million in cost for which the county has no money.
U.S. Department of Justice officials cited the jail in 2009 for deficient mental health and medical care programs and sanitary conditions. County officials were compelled to sign an agreement to improve inmate conditions or face a complete federal takeover.
The Lake County Council appropriated $4 million this year for ramped-up medical and mental health services over and above the $12.6 million in routine jail costs.
Earlier this month, the three-member Board of Commissioners awarded Larson-Danielson of Gary $3.2 million for jail renovations to house acute mentally ill inmates, provide wheelchair access in some medical areas, create more space and privacy for inmate health screenings, and buy and install additional video cameras and fire-resistant mattresses.
Rondelli said the county has paid this by drawing down its savings account the last two years. "That's over," Rondelli said. "We've run through the reserves. They have to find permanent revenue sources."
Rondelli said borrowing or a creating new tax are options council members must explore, although neither he nor they want that.
Councilman Mike Repay, D-Hammond, said the county may have to sell some assets too, but he is depending on Sheriff John Buncich, to find more than $1 million in savings in his combined police and jail budget. He said all criminal justice departments in county government will be expected to contribute savings, too.
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See the full article here:
http://www.nwitimes.com/news/local/lake/lake-county-faced-with-jailbreak-of-cost-overruns/article_d3dff11c-8d90-55fa-b00c-73a3e1d0b415.html
