07-05-2007, 04:58 PM
SARASOTA COUNTY -- The South County jail is set to close in October, among the most dramatic local budget cuts resulting from statewide property tax reform. Most homeowners will save more than $100 on their annual tax bills thanks to the tax reform.
The sheriff proposed the cut as part of an $85.5 million budget on Tuesday after originally asking for more than $90 million. The county commissioners agreed Tuesday with Sheriff Bill Balkwill's proposal to close the jail, a move that is expected to save about $760,000.
But the $85.5 million budget, which also includes cuts to vehicles and travel and the elimination of 32 open positions, appears to be as low as Balkwill will go.
He made that clear last month when he told county commissioners he would turn to the governor if they call for deeper cuts.
"When you start cutting on vehicles, when you start cutting on how much we can give people raises, people start to say 'Why work here when I can make more money in Hillsborough County?'" he said.
The proposed budget cut comes at a time when the county's criminal justice leaders are looking for ways to expand into the growing South County communities with courtrooms, support for drug abuse programs and a jail.
One proposal calls for a new $151 million judicial complex, with a jail with several hundred beds, courtrooms and a medical examiner's office.
Balkwill said Tuesday that the county should consider putting the new facility in mid-county to offset the jail closing.
The jail closing will come despite the county's jail crowding problem, Balkwill said. County Commissioner Paul Mercier called the jail closing "10 steps backward." The County Commission will make the final decision when it sets the budget in late December.
Some law enforcement officials, including North Port Police Chief Terry Lewis, said the move will mean fewer police officers on patrol in South County. Officers there will now have to spend three to four hours -- half their shift -- driving to the Sarasota jail and waiting in line to book prisoners, Lewis said.
During that time they are not on patrol in the city, and "they're not doing the citizens of North Port any good," Lewis said.
The North Port police booked more than 1,000 people into the South County jail last year, at about 45 minutes for each trip to Venice, said Lewis.
Closing the South County jail will move about 4,400 arrests a year to the North County jail, Lewis said.
If multiple officers make arrests at the same time and are out of the city, sergeants might be put in the position of deciding whether an arrest is worth having another officer gone, he said.
Venice police are used to having the booking facility at their station, and there is a steady stream of arrests taken there from the Florida Highway Patrol and other state agencies as well, Venice police Chief Julie Williams said.
The sheriff proposed the cut as part of an $85.5 million budget on Tuesday after originally asking for more than $90 million. The county commissioners agreed Tuesday with Sheriff Bill Balkwill's proposal to close the jail, a move that is expected to save about $760,000.
But the $85.5 million budget, which also includes cuts to vehicles and travel and the elimination of 32 open positions, appears to be as low as Balkwill will go.
He made that clear last month when he told county commissioners he would turn to the governor if they call for deeper cuts.
"When you start cutting on vehicles, when you start cutting on how much we can give people raises, people start to say 'Why work here when I can make more money in Hillsborough County?'" he said.
The proposed budget cut comes at a time when the county's criminal justice leaders are looking for ways to expand into the growing South County communities with courtrooms, support for drug abuse programs and a jail.
One proposal calls for a new $151 million judicial complex, with a jail with several hundred beds, courtrooms and a medical examiner's office.
Balkwill said Tuesday that the county should consider putting the new facility in mid-county to offset the jail closing.
The jail closing will come despite the county's jail crowding problem, Balkwill said. County Commissioner Paul Mercier called the jail closing "10 steps backward." The County Commission will make the final decision when it sets the budget in late December.
Some law enforcement officials, including North Port Police Chief Terry Lewis, said the move will mean fewer police officers on patrol in South County. Officers there will now have to spend three to four hours -- half their shift -- driving to the Sarasota jail and waiting in line to book prisoners, Lewis said.
During that time they are not on patrol in the city, and "they're not doing the citizens of North Port any good," Lewis said.
The North Port police booked more than 1,000 people into the South County jail last year, at about 45 minutes for each trip to Venice, said Lewis.
Closing the South County jail will move about 4,400 arrests a year to the North County jail, Lewis said.
If multiple officers make arrests at the same time and are out of the city, sergeants might be put in the position of deciding whether an arrest is worth having another officer gone, he said.
Venice police are used to having the booking facility at their station, and there is a steady stream of arrests taken there from the Florida Highway Patrol and other state agencies as well, Venice police Chief Julie Williams said.