Sheriff proposes tents for inmates
BY PAM BRANNON Gulf Breeze News news@gulfbreezenews.com

Santa Rosa County Sheriff Wendall Hall says he knows how to raise a quick $386,905 he could apply to his next year's budget. That would almost make up the half a million dollars he is asking county commissioners to add to his budget for next year. It would be raised through using the federal prisoner housing program, and some quick jail expansion.

The county made up its budget for next year based on the revenue cuts promised from the state. They had told the sheriff he could only plan on a budget for next year of almost $31-million, which was his budget for this year. But he reported that even after using his sharpest pencil, he still needs about half a million dollars more. And if he could raise this $387,000 and get the county school board to pick up the entire cost of school resource officers, he would cover his requested budget.

Hall told commissioners that Walton County uses 'sophisticated tents' to house federal prisoners. The tents are built within 60-70 days by DeBoer Vining Construction and leased to the county. The sheriff said they are low security open dorm housing, for prisoners who are non-violent, women, and those who work around the jail. There would be one corrections officer in the center of the tent. The hard-sided tent dorms are wind resistant up to 110 m.p.h, air conditioned, and good for 10 years

If leased for three years, the lease cost would be just over $1-million, or $7.27 per bed per day. And the sheriff told the commissioners the amount the sheriff department would make free and clear, after all expenses are paid, would be $386,905 a year.

Currently, the sheriff department does house some federal prisoners, but due to overcrowding at the jail the sheriff said they cannot take many - and those they have will need to be shipped out soon. "Federal Marshals in Alabama call us weekly wanting to know if we can take more federal prisoners. And we have to do something about our overcrowding problem at the jail soon - that is why we will have to ship out the federal prisoners we do have soon if something isn't done. That would be another loss of revenue to our budget. This tent dorm would be a solution in more than one area, especially the overcrowding issue."

County Commissioner Gordon Goodin of Navarre asked how much per square foot it would cost for the county to build its own dorms onto the jail, instead of leasing these tent dorms which would never be owned by the county. The sheriff said he had checked with the contractor who rebuilt the jail after hurricane damage, and that contractor estimated it would cost just over $1 million.

Goodin said perhaps that would be a better solution, and the sheriff said that would be "a great solution - if you have the money. But the budget is tight and you say you don't have money for extra building. And this tent dorm would be a quick solution, within a couple months, for my budget."

He said if commissioners decided to build a wing or two onto the jail to be used for federal prisoner housing and overcrowding, the tent dorms could be leased for a year or even less, as a quick fix while the jail building was happening.

Currently the check received by the sheriff department for federal prisoner housing goes directly to the county general fund. The sheriff asked if he got this tent dorm project going, could he have the monies generated added to his own budget for next year, to help with the shortfall? Commissioners agreed.

Sheriff Hall said he felt confident, after talking with the construction company, that these tent dorms could be up and running by Oct. 1.

Commission Chairman Tom Stewart said, "We really do not want to see these cuts. I personally am certainly willing to give up any part of my salary from the county that I am allowed to and place it right into your coffers. I do not know if there is a built in salary increase for county commissioners this year, but if there is, I want to put it into your budget to cover those needs. I have already publicly said so before. We are all for anything we can come up with to generate more revenue to keep law enforcement strong."

Sheriff Hall said, "At one time we used to house as many as 150 federal prisoners here, before the latest hurricanes. We can easily handle that many again. I think this is a positive move to help with our overcrowding that is causing fights and tension inside the jail. And it will certainly be a big help to my next year's budget. If I have to cut any more people it will be people I need to run the department efficiently - not people I just want to see on the payroll."