New jail control panel awaits funding

Badly outdated and frequently malfunctioning, the control panel at the Putnam County Jail is ready for replacement as soon as possible.

The question for county officials remains from where to draw the funds to purchase a new board.

Sheriff Scott Stockton appeared before the Putnam County Commissioners and Putnam County Council last week to discuss the issue.

In question is the $189,000 price tag for the new board, which controls all locks in the jail.

The current board has switches that stick down at times and have to be pried up to continue working. With such systems no longer in production, new switches must be ordered from Switzerland at a cost of $85-$90.

The proposed system is a modern, touch-screen model.

Representatives of both boards believed a funding source had been chosen, but in each meeting, Chief Deputy Auditor Evelyn Williams said she could find no evidence in the minutes.

During 2017 budget hearing, the council pulled a $48,000 line item from the PCSD budget for an installment payment on the new system, with plans to pay for it from a different source that is not part of the general fund, whether it be the new Public Safety Local Option Income Tax or the Hazardous Waste Fund.

A concrete option was apparently never worked out.

Another complicating factor is that the sheriff’s department has only one bid for the project. An expenditure of this size requires advertising and at least three bids.

Once the advertising period passes and the council chooses a funding source, the turnaround on getting a new board will be at least another 60 days.

Another funding question before the council will also wait another month, but is finding some local solutions.

Coroner Dave Brown had asked for a $7,000 additional appropriation to purchase a new body cooler to be housed at the Putnam County Hospital.

The final price tag actually came to $6,223, part of which is being taken care of by other sources, including a $1,000 Preparedness Grant applied for by the Putnam County Health Department, another $1,000 direction from the Health Department and $400 from the coroner’s per diem account.

“So there’s $2,400 already going toward it,” Brown said. “I haven’t asked the hospital to contribute anything because they’re going to run some new circuits to support it. I consider that their contribution.”

The Health Department has also been looking into further funding sources for purchasing the cooler.

Brown reported there is a need in the county. The coroner investigates an average of 65 cases annually but had already investigated 83 as of Jan. 20.

When Brown has to store a body in Marion County the cost is $65 per day.

The issue has to be advertised and will be back before the council next month.

In other business:

• In 2017, the Putnam County Council will continue meeting at 6:30 p.m. on the third Tuesday of each month. Meetings remain on the first floor of the courthouse.

• Jayne Bray was reappointed to a one-year term on the Alcoholic Beverage Commission.