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2010-208-Minutes for Meeting March 01,2010 Recorded 4/16/2010DESCHUTES COUNTY OFFICIAL RECORDS CJ 20W-208 NANCY BLANKENSHIP, COUNTY CLERK COMMISSIONERS' JOURNAL 04/16/2010 09;51;30 AM I (I IIIIIIIIIIIII~IIIII) III 1 -208 Do not remove this page from original document. Deschutes- County Clerk Certificate Page If this instrument is being re-recorded, please complete the following statement, in accordance with ORS 205.244: Re-recorded at the request of [give reason] previously recorded in Book _ or as Fee Number and Page to correct DESCHUTES COUNTY PUBLIC SAFETY COORDINATING COUNCIL G < MINUTES OF MEETING Monday, March 1, 2010 Barnes and Sawyer Rooms, County Administration Building 1300 NW Wall, Bend, OR Present were Judge Michael Sullivan; Commissioners Alan Unger and Tammy Baney; County Administrator Dave Kanner; Sheriff Larry Blanton; District Attorney Mike Dugan; Hillary Saraceno, Commission on Children & Families; James Ross and Capt. Ruth Jenkin, Sheriff's Office; Ken Hales, Community Justice; Carl Rhodes, Oregon State Police; Anna Johnson, Communications; Aaron Brenneman, defense attorney; Chief Ron Roberts, Redmond Police Department; Scott Johnson, Health Services; Eileen Stein, Manager, City of Sisters; citizen member Jack Blum; Roger Olson, NAMI (National Alliance on Mental Illness) of Central Oregon; and three other citizens (Bill Brisson of the Old Farm District Neighborhood Association; Nancy McCullough, Century West Neighborhood Association; and Attorney Valerie Wright). No representatives of the media were present. 1. Call to Order & Introductions Judge Sullivan opened the meeting at 3:40 p.m. 2. Jail Expansion & Bond Measure Sheriff Larry Blanton did a PowerPoint presentation at this time on the Jail expansion issue and the bond measure to fund it. Originally the jail expansion as recommended by the experts was much larger (600 jail beds) at a cost of $100 million. Because of the cost, it was decided to instead add 50 special needs beds, utilize the work center and add an appropriate number of jail beds, in the hope that these improvements would be adequate for a number of years. Minutes of LPSCC Meeting Monday, March 1, 2009 Page 1 of 8 Pages To manage the inmate population, several actions have been taken. The Sheriff's Office has encouraged agencies to use cite and release as an alternative to incarceration. Female bed capacity had to be increased from 28 to 40; but this reduced the male beds by 12. The configuration had to be changed because of the number of pre-trial beds needed, and the fact they have more female inmates. There are a variety of reasons why it is difficult to manage the population, considering the crime, the sex of the offender, risk, and so on. They book 16 people a day on average, so if the jail is full, 16 need to be released. Sanctioned bed use has been reduced through joint efforts with Parole & Probation. The Sheriff's Office contracts with Jefferson County in case matrixing becomes an issue. This can't be counted on, however. Jefferson County has a ballot coming up for operational expenses for their jail. If it fails, they will have to lay off jail staff and their capacity will be reduced. Sheriff Blanton went into details about jail capacity, primarily male to female ratios. The work center reopening has helped somewhat. It is a low to medium risk facility, typically used for those transitioning out of the corrections system, so can be used only for those who are minimal risk. A day typically includes 141 pretrial, 47 inmates and others for various reasons. Most are felons. The demand for work center beds expanded 147% in one year. It will take two years for work on the facility to be started from the time that funding is available, so timing is critical. They need to add 250 operational beds and additional special needs beds. The current cost estimate is $44 million. This is a scaled-back version of the recommended master plan. There is now one male bed for inmates on suicide watch, those with drug, alcohol or mental health issues, and so on. There are no beds for special need females with the same issues. The plan is to help these people so they don't keep rotating in and out of the system. They need an additional help to get them on track. Minutes of LPSCC Meeting Monday, March 1, 2009 Page 2 of 8 Pages The expansion will provide beds according to gender, age, medical condition, mental health condition, the charges against them, legal status, escape risk, danger to or the ability to get along with others, and the length of stay. Sheriff Blanton indicated his department wants to protect the public from having to matrix. At one time they had to matrix 1,000 people per year. An officer would bring someone in who gets a matrix score, based on criminal history and the charge. Someone has to be released. A safe and secure facility would reduce jail liability. They will also be able to increase inmate supervision through direct oversight. A new facility would increase inmate and staff safety by reducing inmate movement through the facility. It would also provide for adequate space for intake, release, sally port, kitchen, medical unit, administration and staff. As a cost-saving measure, the State is giving inmates more `good time' and releasing them back to communities sooner. The jail has the ability to feed inmates for $1.00 per day. The State pays $3.00. The entire judicial system must work together, and it costs money. The partners are the courts, law enforcement, parole and probation, the district attorney, defense attorneys, mental health providers, educators and others. Although the economy is still not good, the May 18 election date was chosen to be able to take advantage of current lower construction costs, and historic low interest rates that would help to lower the bond debt. Sheriff Blanton went over the bond debt amount now assessed to properties in the form of taxes. By 2014, with bonds retiring, the net increase will be just 1 He said that the proposed budget for fiscal year 2010-11 will cut the Sheriff's District 1 tax rate by 3%. These taxes have not increased since the levy passed. These funds are for operational expenses and separate from the construction proj ect. Minutes of LPSCC Meeting Monday, March 1, 2009 Page 3 of 8 Pages Sheriff Blanton pointed out that the current Bend Library bond (8 cents per thousand) will retire in fiscal year 2013-14, and the Fairgrounds bond (at 14 cents per thousand) will retired in fiscal year 2016-17. Existing public safety construction bonds will retire in fiscal year 2011-12. The County Commissioners have also agreed to commit the proceeds of the sale of certain County-owned property towards the jail project, but that will not happen until the real estate market is better so that it makes more financial sense. The citizens of Deschutes County will have to decide if the jail expansion is a priority for them and if they are willing to pay some additional taxes to support this. In the past Sheriff Blanton could have asked the media and others for financial support for this campaign, but at this time they are all just trying to keep their doors open as well. The need is real and the time is now. This cannot wait, as there will be issues with public safety otherwise. He was asked if any of the space could be sold to other counties to use. Sheriff Blanton said they would have to add staff, which would not make sense unless what the other county is willing to pay would cover that additional expense. Potentially, current staff might be able to handle a few more. It won't make sense if the amount isn't enough to cover the costs. Ken Hales asked how many staff would be needed each year. Sheriff Blanton said he hoped to add no more than a few at a time. Trying to predict human nature is a challenge. The tax rate is being reduced because staff works hard and takes on additional burdens. There are significantly fewer management positions as previously. Scott Johnson asked if the current plan could allow for full staffing if needed. Sheriff Blanton replied that the tax rate for operations does allow for that. To build things now is one main advantage of doing this now. For example, the OSP/911 project is coming in 25% under bid. Minutes of LPSCC Meeting Monday, March 1, 2009 Page 4 of 8 Pages Ken Hales asked what the supervision model might be. Sheriff Blanton said that there will be staff in the areas with inmates. The corrections staff interact with and encourage the inmates, so direct communications is important. Eileen Stein asked what a "special needs" bed is. Ruth Jenkin replied that it is a classification, based on criminal history, charge, sex, and discipline; and whether the inmate is considered high risk or has a mental health condition. She added that serious situations are increasing, more need suicide watch, some are drug and alcohol impaired, and an increasing number have medical problems. Outfitting special needs beds is an operational and services situation. This would help to avoid the high cost of transferring inmates to the hospital and having a deputy stand by. At this time, female inmates with these kinds of issues have to be held in the holding cell in the booking area, since there is no place for them. Judge Sullivan said that Lane County has not addressed their jail situation well, and their crime statistics are through the roof as a result. Commissioner Unger asked if the previous bonds could be paid off early. Mr. Kanner said that they can't be paid off, but other funds can be moved into those accounts. The problem is that there is not really funding available for this purpose and it would not make a significant difference. Hillary Saraceno asked if there is enough staff to provide additional services when needed. Sheriff Blanton said that staffing could be increased over time without having to go back to the voters. Sheriff Blanton said there is no overflow area, so if repairs have to be made to any part of the jail, they have to move inmates into the recreation area. In the past there were 89 people in the jail on average per day, but it's at 229 now. Commissioner Baney said there has been a push for alternatives. Sheriff Blanton said that they use as many programs as possible, many of which are not directly supported by State funding; and recidivism and the overall situation would be much worse if they did not do this. Minutes of LPSCC Meeting Monday, March 1, 2009 Page 5 of 8 Pages Ms. Stein asked if operational funding will have to be added in the future. Sheriff Blanton stated this is hard to know; it depends on population growth and the situation in the jail over time. Ms. Stein asked if the Sheriff is getting questioned on how to "tighten their belts", as she is hearing those questions as City Manager of Sisters. She said that a side effect of people falling on hard times is increased criminal behavior and mental health issues. The business of having a jail has to continue to address these needs, especially during tough times. Commissioner Unger stated that people want to get more jobs in the area to get the economy rolling again. Sheriff Blanton said he hopes this project will mean jobs for local companies. Inmate labor can be used for construction site cleanup and other jobs, as allowed by law. Jack Blum asked about the expansion of programs to help inmates with education. Sheriff Blanton stated that they have expanded vocational training 100%; they help them with applications, special certificates and other things. Many of these inmates have nothing to their name, and appreciate the special training, helping getting their GED, parenting skills, and other programs. It is called "a paycheck and a plan", so that when the inmates transition out of the work center they have a plan to change their lives. It is different and much more difficult now because jobs are hard to find. Most inmates stay in the County for under a year; longer than that if they go to the State. The facility does not allow smoking, so there is already a stop-smoking program. The recidivism rate is low because there are success stories. Mr. Blum said that the public ought to be made more aware of the programs, since people think that it is already a revolving door. Commissioner Baney asked that after SB 1145, if those inmates were sent to the State, in particular Deer Ridge, what would happen. Sheriff Blanton said Parole and Probation would lose all funding and they would not be able to supervise local offenders. The County is contractually obligated to house the SB 1145 inmates as well. Local control and supervision is much more effective. Ken Hales said it is the pre-trial numbers that is driving the population, not the 1145 group. Sheriff Blanton stated that it is not free; they get State funding, but that funding is not adequate. It would cost more than building another facility to turn things over to the State. Minutes of LPSCC Meeting Monday, March 1, 2009 Page 6 of 8 Pages It is also risky business. If Jefferson County doesn't have adequate funding, those prisoners have to come back to Deschutes County. Crook County relies heavily on Jefferson County, which is dangerous. And Jefferson County can turn away inmates if they want. Ruth Jenkin stated that Jefferson County probably would not accept pre-trial inmates due to access to attorneys. Most in the State facilities are sentenced. The others would have to be kept separate. Judge Sullivan said that these people have to have access to the courts. In many cases, these things don't lend themselves properly to video. It would take officers to transport, search, and handle the prisoners; and the risk is substantial. There could be a victim and perpetrator in the jail at the same time, and they have to be kept separate. This is all expensive. Sheriff Blanton stated that there is a huge burden on those attorneys handling indigent defense as well, so these cases gets backed up in the courts. At a certain point you cannot do more with less. You can be more efficient, but reach a certain level where you just can't do any better. They have tried to minimize travel to and from the jail, but the Sheriff's Office does not have the vehicles to do this transport anymore. Sheriff Blanton said that a lot of people think all that happens in the courts is criminal matters. Judge Sullivan observed that about a third of the cases are criminal, and the rest are civil. Commissioner Unger said that COBA (Central Oregon Builders' Association) might be a good group to have on board, as they can recognize the economic benefit of the work of building a new facility. Ms. Stein said that the passage, of Measure 66 and 67 made some people mad, and they might take it out on the next election. Sheriff Blanton feels that most people want to have a safe community and hopes they will support these efforts. 3. Public Comments. None were offered. Approval of the minutes of the previous meeting and other issues will be addressed at the next LPSCC meeting, scheduled for April S. Minutes of LPSCC Meeting Monday, March 1, 2009 Page 7 of 8 Pages Being no further discussion, the meeting adjourned at 4: 45 p. m. Respectfully submitted, Bonnie Baker Recording Secretary Attachments Exhibit A: Agenda Exhibit B: Sign in sheet Exhibit C: Document providing basic information on the proposed bond issue Minutes of LPSCC Meeting Monday, March 1, 2009 Page 8 of 8 Pages DESCHUTES COUNTY PUBLIC SAFETY COORDINATING COUNCIL 41~G~JT ES COGZ~ 0 < Monday, March 1, 2010 - 3:30 p.m. Barnes and Sawyer Rooms, County Administration Building 1300 NW Wall, Bend, OR A enda Call to Order & Introductions Judge Sullivan II Jail Expansion & Bond Measure Attachment 1 Sheriff Larry Blanton Brief Council on Expansion Project and Bond Measure IV Public Comment Judge Sullivan z z V W vs 'Q L1.1 J C]. _O O N ~ t N t V L de ~ `v 55 V ~ w izz ~ I rc 1 ' r V ~ l~ ~ W bQ c N .1 ~ N V v cL cf V .C 0 m m v a DESCHUTES COUNTY BOND WOULD EXPAND AND REMODEL EXISTING JAIL Deschutes County has one (1) jail for the population of 170,705.1 The county jail houses inmates for City of Bend Police Department, City of Redmond Police Department, Deschutes County Sheriff's Office, Black Butte Police Department, Sunriver Police Department, Oregon State Police and Parole and Probation. Currently, there are 228 beds in the jail for the general population with an additional 90 beds in the Work Center for sentenced, low risk inmates. • Since 1995, the average daily general population in our jail has increased from 89 to 223 through December of 2009 (Deschutes County Adult Jail records). • Since the passage of permanent funding in 2006, the tax rate has not increased even though Sheriff's Office costs have increased. This year, the Sheriffs Office will submit a budget to the County Commissioners and the County Budget Committee that would keep the current permanent funding tax rate for the 2010/2011 fiscal year. District 1 property owners pay $.95 per $1,000 of assessed value. District 2 property owners pay $1.40 per $1,000 of assessed value. Passage of this bond would: ➢ End early release due to overcrowding. ➢ Add approximately 250 beds for general population inmates. ➢ Increase space for programs that give inmates the skills to make positive changes in their lives. ➢ Add approximately 50 beds for mental health and other special needs inmates. ➢ Current low construction costs.2 ➢ Historically low bond rates.3 ➢ Deschutes County population is continuing to grow.' ➢ Jail expansion construction would take approximately 2 years to complete? Cost: ➢ Design and Construction cost is estimated to be $44 million.Z ➢ The annual cost of the bond is estimated at 18 cents per $1,000 of assessed value. The cost would be approximately $3 per month for property with an assessed value of $200,000.4 For additional information please visit the Deschutes County website at www. sheriff. deschutes. or or call Sheriff Larry Blanton at 388-6659 'Population Research Center, Portland State University 2Information from retained contractor 3The Oregon Bond Index 20 yr. represents an average rate on 20-year maturities of Oregon municipal general obligation bonds rated "A", as reported to the Debt Management Division of the Oregon Treasurer's Office by seven regional/northwest traders of Oregon bonds. 4Deschutes County Assessor This message has been approved by the Oregon State Elections Office 2310