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Sheriff lowers layoffs by 21
Minimum-security jail to remain closed
By PETER H. MILLIKEN
YOUNGSTOWN
Mahoning County Sheriff Randall A. Wellington said the layoff reductions in his department were made possible by discussions between the county administrator and the county’s bond counsel to restructure the county’s debt.
The sheriff has rescinded the layoffs of 21 deputies that would have taken effect Sunday.
They were among 86 deputies and two civilians to whom layoff notices were mailed May 21 because of the county’s recession- induced budget crisis.
Based on the original total of 88 layoffs, the sheriff said the county’s jail capacity was being reduced from the previous 602 prisoners to 252, but the rescinding of 21 layoffs will allow the main jail to hold up to 412 inmates.
The minimum-security jail, which was closed in mid-May, will remain closed, he said.
The sheriff said discussions between county Administrator George J. Tablack and the bond counsel involved restructuring the county’s debt to achieve what Tablack referred to as a long-term budgetary “smoothing effect.”
Tablack noted that the three-year federal judges’ order, which settled an inmate lawsuit concerning jail crowding and which required county-jail facilities to remain fully open and staffed, did not expire until May 17.
That requirement forced the sheriff to keep his full staff of 299 until now and caused him to spend money in the first five months of this year at a rate his department could not sustain under his limited 2010 budget, Tablack explained.
On April 1, the county commissioners set this year’s sheriff’s budget at $11.8 million, compared with the $17.3 million the sheriff spent last year.
“We believe we have an answer now, and we’re going to present that to the board” of county commissioners next week, Tablack said.
As requested by Tablack, Wellington said he is rescinding only enough layoffs to house the inmates that cannot be released.
The sheriff said he had been making arrangements to send the county’s prisoners to other jails as a last resort.
The sheriff said, however, “The financial impact of shipping inmates would only be making the county’s financial crisis worsen.”
Judge Elizabeth Kobly of Youngstown Municipal Court has threatened to sue the county if it releases city inmates in violation of the judges’ orders.
The county jail now holds about 90 prisoners from Youngstown, Campbell and Struthers municipal courts, including both sentenced defendants and those awaiting trial.
Wellington said his command staff continues to negotiate with the Fraternal Order of Police concerning extension of concessions, including unpaid floating holidays every two weeks, which are scheduled to expire June 30.