No jail-no jailer?
Bill filed to remove jailer’s offices where there is no jail..
Monday January 12, 2015 – 19:30
by Wade Queen
Freshman Republican representative’s proposal would merge offices of jailer with sheriff in counties with no operating jail; would eliminate jailer’s office in Lawrence County, along with the bordering counties of Elliot, Johnson, Martin, and Morgan counties.
A Kentucky representative wants to eliminate jailers without jails.
Representative Phil Moffett, R-Louisville (32nd District) announced in a press release from Frankfort on January 5 his intention to file a bill for the 2015 session of Kentucky’s General Assembly that if passed would direct all counties that currently do not have an operating jail to consolidate their local jailer’s office with the county sheriff’s office. The proposal is the first bill filed by the newly elected House Republican.
“This bill is a common sense step toward fiscal responsibility, which is needed considering the dire state of our Commonwealth’s finances,” said Rep. Moffett. “At a time when we don’t have enough money to fund our public pension systems or build roads, we as legislators must look for every opportunity to cut waste. If this proposal becomes law, we could save Kentucky taxpayers up to $2 million annually by eliminating the office of jailer in 41 counties where there is no local jail.”
Rep. Moffett says that Section 105 of the Kentucky Constitution states, “The General Assembly may, at any time, consolidate the offices of Jailer and Sheriff in any county or counties, as it shall deem most expedient; but in the event such consolidation be made, the office of Sheriff shall be retained, and the Sheriff shall be required to perform the duties of Jailer, and that along with recent media reports regarding local jailers being paid despite having little to no duties prompted him to begin work on a bill.
Rep. Moffett’s bill, which will be known as BR 844, is currently being drafted.
Moffett’s argument for support for his bill will no doubt be strengthened by a lengthy joint-inquiry report by the Kentucky Center for Investigative Reporting and 89.3 WFPL-FM radio, a National Public Radio all news station in Louisville, that was released a few days earlier.
READ more…
http://kycir.org/2015/01/02/only-in-kentucky-jailers-without-jails/
Only in Kentucky: Jailers Without Jails:
41 Ky. counties have jailers but no jails.
http://www.kentucky.com/2015/01/11/3635347_kentucky-jails-ripe-for-reform.html?rh=1
Kentucky jails ripe for reform
LEGISLATURE SHOULD END ABSURD WASTE OF NO-JAIL JAILERS, BUT DON’T STOP THERE
January 11, 2015
The Kentucky Center for Investigative Reporting recently told the story of Kentucky’s 41 counties without jails that continue to spend money on elected jailers. The total cost of these no-jail jailers and their deputies — often family members — amounts to over $2 million a year, the center calculated.
That’s shameful, wasteful and, frankly, ridiculous.
It is also easily solved.
The Other side of the coin; Some counties like it the way it is…
http://www.hclocal.com/content/officials-jailers-save-money
