Mahoning officials: Jail can't be fully staffed cause of declining revenues

YOUNGSTOWN — It’s not realistic to expect the Mahoning County jail to be maintained at current staffing levels based on downward revenue trends, county officials said.

“We just don’t have the revenue to support the jail at 100 percent as we have the past couple of years,” said Commissioner John A. McNally IV after today’s commissioners’ meeting.

McNally spoke on the eve of Wednesday’s informal, closed-door status conference with U.S. District Judge Dan Aaron Polster in Cleveland concerning the county’s request to lay off one-third of its sheriff’s department personnel and close half of the jail on March 28 due to its budget woes.

Participating in that conference, which starts at 9 a.m., will be city and county officials and lawyers for inmates who won a class-action lawsuit concerning jail crowding.

For the complete story, see Wednesday's Vindicator and Vindy.com