MAHONING COUNTY Officials support plan to recall 54 deputies

The plan would raise $1.5 million this year and $2.8 million next year.
By DAVID SKOLNICK
VINDICATOR POLITICS WRITER
YOUNGSTOWN -- A plan to recall 54 laid-off Mahoning County Sheriff's Department deputies by raising revenue through the increased housing of federal inmates at the county jail is expected to be finalized by June 1.
County commissioners and county Auditor George Tablack discussed the specifics of the proposal Tuesday with Sheriff Randall Wellington.
Under the plan, the county would receive about $1.5 million from the federal government for housing federal prisoners through the end of the year, and receive about $2.8 million next year.
The money would be enough to recall 54 deputy sheriffs laid off in March because of countywide budget reductions, Wellington said.
Federal inmates
The financial projects are based on having 70 federal inmates at the county jail per day this year, and 100 federal inmates per day next year, Wellington said.
Pete Elliott, U.S. marshal for Ohio's northern district, wants the county jail to eventually house between 100 and 150 inmates a day, if the prisoners are available, Wellington said.
"There is no guarantee a federal marshal can make with the number of inmates," Tablack said. "If we fall behind, it will result in immediate layoffs. On paper, it looks like a good business deal for the county."
The federal inmate population at the county jail is presently 77, up from 41 about a week ago, Wellington said.
The inmates are people either waiting to be sentenced or waiting for an appearance in federal court.
County officials also persuaded Elliott to increase the federal government payment to the county from $67 a day to $77.
Tablack said this plan doesn't mean the county is back on stable financial footing, but if everything goes well, the deputies will be called back shortly and it means much-needed revenue for the county.
Tablack urged a hiring freeze for the sheriff's department once the 54 deputies are returned.
Concessions by the deputies' union to take compensatory time instead of overtime payments until June 1 while the department is short-staffed have been extremely beneficial, Tablack and Wellington said.
What's next
The county budget commission will meet shortly to certify that the federal inmate plan will increase revenue for the sheriff's department, something it hasn't done because of a lack of an assurance from the federal government that it would increase its inmates at the county jail.
Tablack, who heads the budget commission, said the federal government has shown good faith in the past month, increasing the number of federal inmates in the county jail, and he supports the plan.
After that, the commissioners, who also support the plan, need to allocate more revenue for the sheriff's department to pay for the returning 54 deputies and for costs associated with the additional federal inmates, and then Wellington can recall those who were laid off.
All this has to be done by June 1, when the deputies' union's agreement on compensatory time expires, or Wellington said he will have to shut down parts of the county jail and stop taking federal inmates.
skolnick@vindy.com