3/6/09
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6 comments
EDITORIAL
Food bill delay not a good sign
Something is up any time a legislator asks for his bill to not come up for a committee hearing. That means HB 556, which was due a hearing in the County and Municipal Government Committee this week in Montgomery, has big-time opposition. A roomful of sheriffs showed up for the scheduled hearing on the bill that would strip them of pocketing state and federal money meant to feed jail inmates. Bill sponsor Rep. Allen Treadaway, R-Morris, said he needs to talk to the powerful Alabama Sheriffs Association and the Association of County Commissions of Alabama. Committee Chairman Bill Dukes, D-Decatur, didn’t promise that the bill will be back later this month, but said it could come up by then. Many pieces of good legislation have died in committee and never made it to the House and Senate floors for votes when legislators didn’t want to publicly choose sides. Hopefully, the bill will be back without either group weakening its intent. Sheriffs want more money and county commissions don’t want inmate feeding dumped on them. Treadaway hinted he would compromise to a point: “The bill is pretty clear. I don’t want any tax money to go into the pockets of sheriffs,” he said. Nor does he want any saved food money going back to sheriffs’ departments for them to use elsewhere. Those two issues, he said, are non-negotiable. All of this started, of course, here in Morgan County, where Sheriff Greg Bartlett pocketed some $316,000 over a five-year period. That was in addition to his $64,000 annual salary. The bill only partially affects our sheriff because a federal judge already has taken away his unspent food money. The Legislature should stop this shameful abuse in the other 54 counties that allow the practice.
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I think Rep. Treadway, R-Morris and The Decatur Daily are a little confused. The Sheriff runs the correctional facility, not the Morgan County Commission, not the State Legislature, and especially not The Decatur Daily. Sheriff Bartlett is following Alabama State Code and has done so since he was elected, and then re-elected. How come The Daily hasn't reported on Sheriff Blakely of Limestone County keeping the food bill money, for over two decades? Just curious...
Thanks, John. You're right about limited coverage on Sheriff Blakely. The Daily has reported on Sheriff Blakely keeping jail food money in several articles, but unfortunately reporters haven't been able to determine how much money he has made. That's why the articles about him have been limited. The only reason reporters were able to learn how much Sheriff Bartlett made was because he was forced to tell the judge in open court.
The Daily would love to tell taxpayers how much every sheriff in this state has taken, but most of them are hiding it.
Alabama code doesn't force sheriffs to keep the money. The sheriffs who choose to pocket the taxpayer money rather than putting it back into their departments or spending it on better food don't want anybody to know how rich they're getting because it will shame and embarrass them, and will anger voters. One of them made $300,000 in one year. Another one made more than $400,000 in a recent year. With the new federal inmates in Morgan County, could our sheriff be in line for a similar amount? If so, it's certainly worth fighting for isn't it?
One last thing. Sheriff Bartlett was quoted Thursday as saying he'd like to see jail food money go into the county general fund as a line item. But he is the same sheriff who is filing court appeals to give the money to himself. How does his statement jive with his actions?
John: I don't think they are confused at all. We, the taxpayers, pay the bill that feeds those inmates (and the sheriff's salary, for that matter). The sheriff is accountable to us. He violated a federal court order. Many others are also benefiting from this ridiculous state law, which needs to be changed. But that does not excuse Sheriff Bartlett's unethical and illegal actions. If we wanted our money to go into his pocket instead of feeding those in his professional care, we would have given the cash to him.
I'm surprised nobody has yet brought this up about the absurd jail-food law. Yes, it creates an incentive for sheriff's to skimp on meals for those in their professional care in order to make a bigger personal income. But it therefore also creates an incentive for sheriffs to have a higher jail census (and thus collect more increments of $1.75 from the state). Ask yourself this: If a man is willing to deprive his fellow man of food so that he can personally profit, would that same man not hesitate to plant drugs, etc, to raise his jail census and thus collect more from the state?
The law has to be changed.
Ok guys, during the last election I campainged for Tom Little. I use to work for the MCJ. When I try to explain what was going on, I was classified as a disgruntle employee, which I was not because I quit not fired. I saw food not touched until the expiration date ran out then it was discarded. The head cook Cooper has a car and gas furnished ????? The reason is if he saves money for Bartlett, he gets extra also. I'm really tired of trying to explain how crooked it is, so I'll just leave my comments here and I'm done.
What is done in the dark will come to light! Bartlett is not the only one, he's just the one in the spotlight now in this particular situation. There are others in high places and different situations. Look around people, all of it is about to unfold. All it takes is for someone to get fed up, or in Bartletts situation, not fed. No doubt you will be surprised when it does just as some of you are now!