3/27/09
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15 comments
EDITORIAL
Sheriffs, counties showing muscle to kill food bill
The powerful lobbying of Alabama sheriffs and county commissions is drawing a fine bead on legislators, and they are ducking for cover to avoid resolving a disgraceful situation in county jails. Legislators are starting the process of obfuscation to stall what started as a straightforward bill to keep sheriffs from pocketing the money the state sends them to feed jail inmates. The 1930s law that allowed sheriffs to keep any portion of the daily allotment not spent on feeding inmates is a clear conflict of interest and a seductive invitation to abuse. The state pays $1.75 per day to feed each inmate. We’ve seen the abuse here in Morgan County, where it took a federal judge to stop Sheriff Greg Bartlett from inadequately feeding inmates. In one year alone, he pocketed $95,000 of the food money, and $316,000 over six years. Inmate witnesses in federal court said their daily diet on some days consisted of corn dogs — that’s a corndog for breakfast, a corndog for lunch and a corndog for supper. Those may have been their better meals. Some of the other 54 sheriffs continuing to keep a portion of the state allotment manage to feed inmates adequately. But sheriffs change and policies change. That’s why the Legislature needs to stop the practice. Yet, the bill reintroduced in the House County and Municipal Government Committee this week was shuffled off to a subcommittee. In the meanwhile, legislators are picking up the pace to see the bill fail because they cite its dire ramifications rather than the abuse it stops. Legislators, the sheriffs and county commissions want voters to think the problem is so great it is unsolvable. Lawmakers lack the political will to buck these powerhouse political groups. Rep. Frank McDaniel, D-Albertville, proposed the subcommittee assignment that sent the bill to its pending death. “The issue here is much bigger than the sponsor first thought,” he said. How could there be an issue larger than abuse? Then there is Rep. Butch Taylor, D-New Hope, who can’t reconcile his stand because he represents Madison and Jackson counties and each handles feeding inmates differently. Taylor is the ideal legislator because he stands with his friends. The legislator who introduced the bill to stop the sheriffs from getting the money seems to have lost his indignation over the food issue. Rep. Allen Treadaway, R-Morris, said, “This is lots more complicated than I first thought.” He gives a hint of the bill’s future: “The longer this drags on, the less optimistic I am that we will resolve the issue this session.” The Depression-era legislation was bad law then, and it is bad law today. Legislators ought to have the guts to repeal the law and do what it takes to properly feed inmates and stop the conflict.
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it seems the daily knows more than all the parties involved. i don't think trying to drive a bill down the voters throat helps anyone. let the rep.,commissions, and sheriff's work this issue out for the voters sake. i would rather have a bill come out of montgomery that didn't cost the taxpayers. if it is so easy lets have the daily tell us who should be responsible for the bill when the fund comes up short?
To: The Decatur Daily
Please respond. How would you fix this problem? If you could write this bill what would it say? Who would be responsible for any shortages?
Please Respond...
Hmmm ... no shortages ever in the past; in fact, more than $315,000 surplus in the past six years in Morgan County alone.
Asking who would be responsible for shortages is a lot like asking who water the lawn today if it doesn't rain (it already has).
How anyone can defend a law that provides an incentive for an elected official to gain financially by shirking his duty -- and the more he shirks, the more he gains -- is beyond me.
Go ahead, give the excess to the county comm., then you will see real waste.
I would rather the County Commission spend the excess filling pot holes than the sheriff filling his pockets.
Hi bob I see you are still on the editoral staff at the paper. keep up the good work, you NOT fooling anyone.
Bob;
I dont know if you are aware of it but if a stove or a dryer or a washer goes out in the jail the sheriff has to pay for it.
Also you are talking about passing a law that will affect the whole state not just morgan county. How much money is some of the smaller counties making? the counties that have small jails that will only house anround 30 people or so are losing money.
who is going to be responsible for the shortages in those counties.
every jail does not have a 400 bed facility and every jail does not house federal inmates. if this law only applies to morgan county then go ahead and pass it today because you all probably want have a shortage but you cant guarantee that these smaller counties want and this law will affect them also. see hoss its not as simple as you think is. you are thinking about morgan county only and that everyone is like morgan county but they are not.
please reply.
Hazel: First: Who paid for that jail in Morgan County? Do you think it was just sent here from heaven? We, the taxpayers in Morgan County, are paying for it and will do so for years to come. Should we not also reap the benefits?
Second: You say the counties that house only 30 or so inmates "are losing money." As the law exists today, that means the sheriffs in those counties are paying the shortfall in food money out of their own pockets. There does not seem to be a shortage of candidates when elections roll around, so I suspect there isn't a lot of money being lost.
Finally, can you not understand the concept that the law is wrong in that it provides an incentive for the sheriffs to shirk their professional (and humanitarian) duties in order to profit personally? I would not be surprised to find sheriffs who order deputies to make unwarranted arrests for petty matters, or acts that aren't even against the law, in order to get that $1.75. So the charge gets dropped. The sheriff still gets the money. It is a system that begs to be corrupted and, thanks to U.S. District Judge U.W. Clemon, we found it in fact has been corrupted.
A continusly embarassing story involving our county sheriff. Sheesh, when will this be resolved, hopefully by people with integrity and common sense?
Bob;
I agree that the law should be changed and the Sheriff should not get to keep any money from feeding prisoners. It is also my understanding that is what the sheriffs association is trying to do as well. My hang up is what if... there is a short fall or something happens that can not be controlled and the Sheriffs get stuck with taking that money out of their pockets.
Why cant the money go into the county general fund and that be a line item in the sheriff's budget and that line item be delt with the same way other line items are delt with when you go over such as overtime etc.
I want the law changed i just dont think it is right for the sheriff to have to pay anything out of his pocket. he should draw his salary and the feeding the prisoners should be just another budget item that is funded with the understanding that it is going to flutuate from time to time and allowances should be made for that. Why is the county commissions against it being done this way.
please relpy bob.
Here is the problem...the law is outdated and will be abused, such as what Bartlett did. However, I do not trust the Morgan County Commission with the money either. They have already shown they do not know how to spend money wisely. When they do spend money on a project, it seems that only certain parts of Morgan County get taken care of, while other parts get neglected. Don't believe me? Go check out the wonderful looking county parks on the east side of the county, then go check out West Park in Neel. I dare you to tell me there is not something awry going on.
First and foremost, get the food money out of the hands of the already proven corrupt sheriff. Then set up a special account at the bank for the food money to go to that the food will be paid for and the comission chairman be the only one to write a check for the food at the end of the month. Next, get a chairman we can trust, not like the moron that is incharge, as we have now.
The Sheriff already gets enough perks as it is. Some want to raise his salary. If so, then let him pay for the gasoline he uses in the county vehicle he uses and the tires, oil and any other maintenance is required for it. As it is right now, not only is he being provided a vehicle for his personal use, all the necessary upkeep for it, gasoline for it regardless what it is used for in additon to his salary. Even the inmates wash and clean up the vehicle at no charge to him or the county. The perks alone are worth more than $14,000 a year that he doesn't even have to pay taxes on. If he is allowed to keep the money from an antiquated law, then roll back his salary to the early 1920's when this law was effective. Then we can see Bartlett scream bloody murder. The best thing to do is have him thrown out and someone with some morals in that office. Make his danty little wife get out of her new car and fix the meals, do the grocery shopping and clean up the kitchen and wash the dishes as they did in the early 1920's.
Brenda
It sounds like you have an axe to grind with the sheriff. Let the commission keep the money, but also let them be responsible for the shortfalls. Bob makes such a point of there being no shortfall. The reason for this is because the sheriff gets to keep the profit. Once that is done away with, there is no reason for anyone to be fiscally responsible with the money. What someone needs to do is compare how much money Bartlett is making with how much money one of the counties that controls jail food is making or losing. The problem with the judge's order is that Bartlett is not allowed to keep the profits, but is responsible for the losses IF there are any. Whoever keeps the profits should also be responsible for the losses.
Way to go John from Hartselle, You said it perfect. Why can't the legislators do the comparison you said it might help them in their decision making.
And your right the reason there is a profit now is because the Sheriff shops around for bargins and deals to save money.
Who is going to do that when the commission takes over. I believe they will have to hire one person to order the food, meals are prepared properly and make sure everything is going ok in the kitchen. That will be a salary, retirement, insurance, what about a county car if that person is going to be responsible for going and picking up food etc or coming to the jail when there is a problem.
They could take the extra money and have OUTBACK delivered to the jail once a month. Boy those inmates would enjoy a 20oz steak, salad, bake potato and that blooming onion. what would that cost about $30.00 per inmate. with about 250 inmates that would only cost 7,500.00 a month or about $90,000.00 a year for 250 inmates to have one good meal a month or 12 good meals a year - for $90,000.00. and you would still have about $5,000.00 left over.
Hey Bob from Decatur where are you?
What is your opinion on this being a line item in the budget and dealt with the same as other line items in the budget?
Someone who can talk with him needs to contact Rep. Treadaway about this.