REPORT TO SHASTA COUNTY BOARD OF SUPERVISORS

BOARD MEETING DATE:  May  1, 2018
CATEGORY:  Regular - Law and Justice-7.

SUBJECT:

Budget Amendment, Sheriff's Office Jail Budget.

Supervisorial District No. :  All

DEPARTMENT CONTACT:  Eric Magrini, Undersheriff (530) 245-6167

STAFF REPORT APPROVED BY:  Mike Lindsey, Chief Fiscal Officer

RECOMMENDATION

Approve a budget amendment increasing appropriations by $200,000 in the Sheriff’s Jail budget, offset by use of Public Safety General Purpose Fund balance reserves, to house Shasta County inmates in out-of-county jail facilities.

SUMMARY

The Sheriff’s Office projects it will have expended the $300,000 in Community Corrections Partnership Executive Committee (CCPEC) AB109 funds allocated in Fiscal Year (FY) 2017-18 for out-of-county jail beds by the end of April 2018 and recommends the Board approve a budget amendment to allocate $200,000 from Public Safety General Purpose Fund balance reserves to be used for out-of-county jail beds for the remainder of FY 2017-18.

DISCUSSION

On July 18, 2017, County Executive Officer Larry Lees presented to the Board an option to temporarily provide additional jail beds through a request for $300,000 of AB109 funds from the Community Corrections Partnership Executive Committee (CCPEC) and $200,000 from contingency reserves to be repaid out of Public Safety reserves. The Board directed staff to proceed with the recommendations for requesting the AB109 funding and for future consideration for the additional $200,000 in appropriations for out-of-county beds. The request for the $300,000 of AB109 funds was considered and approved by the CCPEC on August 16, 2017.

The Sheriff’s Office projects it will have expended the $300,000 in AB109 appropriations for out-of-county placements by the end of April 2018 and met with the County Administrative Office staff. A consensus was reached on a mechanism for appropriating the additional $200,000. This resulting recommendation would authorize a budget amendment to increase out-of-county bed appropriations by $200,000 in the Sheriff’s Jail budget, offset by a use of Public Safety General Purpose Fund balance reserves.

This is an interim solution to make additional beds available in our local Jail through June 30, 2018.  Beginning July 1, 2018, the CCPEC (on February 14, 2018) approved another $300,000 of AB109 funds to house Shasta County inmates in out-of-county jail facilities and/or use it for Jail expansion costs. 

ALTERNATIVES

The Board may choose to defer consideration of this recommendation, or may decide to not approve this request.

OTHER AGENCY INVOLVEMENT

The CCPEC approved the use of the FY 2017-18 $300,000 in AB109 funding for out-of-county beds. The County Administrative Office has worked with the Sheriff’s Office to develop, and has reviewed, this recommendation.

FINANCING

Approval of this recommendation will allocate $200,000 exclusively for use in housing Shasta County inmates in contracted out-of-county jail facilities. Appropriations for the $200,000 are requested to be offset with use of Public Safety General Purpose Fund balance reserves. This recommendation will have no additional General Fund impact for FY 2017-18; however, the non-committed balances in the Public Safety reserves (Prop. 172 Reserves and Public Safety General Purpose Reserves) are declining and potentially as soon as FY 2019-20, ongoing or increased support for public safety activities may impact the General Fund.