Delaware County To Ask For Overtime Funds For Jail Staffing Shortage: “As Soon As I Get Them, They Leave”

The Delaware County Sheriff’s Department will ask the Delaware County Council next month for more than $100,000 to pay overtime hours at the jail.  As IPR’s Stephanie Wiechmann reports, the department says it can’t find people to fill open positions.

The Delaware County Sheriff’s Department is even turning to social media to find applicants. (Photo: Facebook)

Sheriff’s department financial officer Nancy Marvin says there are six corrections officer openings in Delaware County right now.  But only one person has applied to all of those.

“As soon as I get them, they leave.  I had one I just turned in today – he lasted one day.”

She’s previously told the Delaware County Council that other neighboring counties pay their corrections officers more, so qualified people are training in Delaware County and then leaving for higher pay.

Those vacancies are why the department will soon ask the county for about $130,000 to continue to afford to pay overtime to staff the jail this year.

Sheriff Tony Skinner explains exactly how bad the situation is.

“We’re looking at, easily at $200,000 this year just for overtime in the jail.  And that is just the minimum staffing requirements.  People are getting their vacations cancelled, getting days off requests cancelled.  And, quite frankly, they are getting burned out.”

Since moving the county jail out to the newly constructed justice center, Skinner says there’s been a slow increase in inmates to about 300 people.  This week, county commissioners approved an agreement to house Madison County inmates in Delaware County for $40 a day.  Skinner says they’ll only see about 4-8 extra inmates from that.

Marvin says the department has already spent $93,000 in overtime pay this year.  She’s had to borrow money from a fund that pays for inmate meals to be able to afford it.  She says part of next month’s ask will go to pay that fund back.

County officials have not discussed in public meetings any change to county pay rates.