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HomeMy WebLinkAbout06-21-2002 Meeting I PUBLIC SAFETY COMMITIEE COMMITTEE ROOM - June 21, 2002 10:30 A. M. PRESENT: T. Boyles, Co-Chairman, L. Beard, S. Shepard members, G. Kolb, Administrator, F. Russell, Deputy Administrator, J. Wall, Attorney, Commissioners Hankerson, Colclough, Bridges, D. Pesaud, Finance Director, Chief Toole, Sheriff's Dept, L. Bonner, Oerk of Commission. ABSENT: M. Williams, Chairman. MEDIA: S. Eidson, Metro Spirit, H. Williams, Augusta Chronicle, S. Norris, Augusta Focus. 1. Approve the purchase of licenses for Microsoft desktop applications and server products. Ms. Allen: In 2000 during the Legislative Session the Georgia General Assembly composed a group called the Georgia Technology Authority. They have set Microsoft as the standard product for the S tate to use. They also negotiated a great price in obtaining Enterprise Agreement licenses. I'm recommending that this organization approve that agreement. I Mr. Beard: So move for approval. Mr. Shepard: Second. Motion carries unanimously. 2. Approve contracting with Precision Planning for a sum to be determined for the design and planning regarding the construction of two pods at the Augusta-Richmond County Detention Center. The design is to accommodate one pod for female inmates and one pod for male inmates. Each pod will increase capacity by 21,000 square feet which enables the increased capacity of 156 beds for inmates. The design to be accomplished by a duplication of previous construction to facilitate a more rapid design phase at a lower cost than could otherwise be obtained by going to a different source. Funding is provided in existing county funds. I Mr. Kolb: I just want to supplement what he's saying by saying that this is only the planning phase and we do have it budgeted in the Capital Outlay budget for this year. But, I want to caution the Commission that we have not identified funds for the actual construction. We do need to have a discussion about that and I'm planning to do that at a work session. But in order to keep this on pace and to make it happen I would recommend that we move forward with the award. Mr. Beard: Do we have funds for both pods? Mr. Kolb: No. The only money that you have budgeted in this fiscal year is for the planning and design of the pods. You do not have monies for the actual construction. I Mr. Beard: Although I can support this isn't it a fact that we've said in other instances that you can't start a project until the funding was identified? Mr. Kolb: That's why I'm making my statement now that would be the condition that there is no monies budgeted at this time for construction. Mr. Beard: Are we deviating from the normal process here? Mr. Kolb: Yes you are. Mr. Hankerson: My question is about the over crowding. Do we have space on Tobacco Road and if so how much space do we have or are we utilizing that space? Chief Toole: We talked to Warden Leverett and he talked to Mr. Kolb. They have 100 beds available at RCCl right now. The concern is the staffing and the funds to be able to house 100 inmates right now. We've done this in the past before Phinizy Road was completed. I talked to the Sheriff and we feel like it's in the best interest that these inmates be given to Warden Leverett and let him have the staff. That way we're not in another facility trying to guard inmates. That would actually put us in three facilities, we're already in two facilities now. I submitted a proposal to Mr. Kolb and so did Warden Leverett. I After further discussion, Mr. Kolb: The Commission approved in the budget $500,000 to be used for 100 beds at RCCI. These monies were set aside in the Sheriff's budget to fund the 100 beds at RCCI. The eleven positions are in conflict with what the Warden feels he needs in terms of manning for that particular operation. He says he needs seventeen. We're in the process now of trying to resolve that. If we have to go over the eleven positions we would have to come back to the Commission and have you amend the budget and approve the increase and the number of guards that we would actually hire. The money is not there. So we're crying to resolve those issues because it will impact on future operating budgets. We're in the process now of trying to resolve that. Whether to decide seventeen or eleven or somewhere in between is appropriate. Mr. Bridges: One of the things that the Deputy said that peeked my interest was when we first put that site on Phinizy Road there was an outcry because there are so many neighborhoods around there that the public didn't want the jail there. I One of the things that they were assured of is that there would never be violent criminals housed on Phinizy Road. There would always be, I guess, the type of I I I criminals that we have there now. The reason I say that is because the Deputy made the comment that it's getting more expensive to run the one downtown. I thought that might mean that there had been an attempt to consolidate it all at Phinizy Road. I just want to continue placing out there that the residents near the Phinizy Road jail was promised when it was built that we would never house violent criminals in that location. I keep seeing Grand Jury reports that recommend doing that and I keep mentioning it to the District Attorney that that's what we promised those people. Mr. Beard: I would like to make a motion that we receive this as information and also adding that the SheriIT's Dept., and the Administrator get together and bring us back a funding source for this, possibly at the next meeting. I'm saying this simply because of the procedure that is being used. I don't particularly like to deviate from procedure. Chief Toole, I do know that you need the additional pods. But this is a matter of procedure as far as I'm concerned. I know we'll have to find those funds from somewhere, otherwise we'll be under a court order. I can't see doing this when it's not the normal procedure that we do. I think that either way we're going to have to come up with that. I think that it should be brought back to your Committee. Mr. Shepard: Second. Mr. Beard alluded to the point I wanted to make and that is we worked hard to get out from under the court order and the supervision of the Federal court. To stay out from under, you have to be ahead of the curve. You'll have to accept responsibility that we'll have to provide physically for the incarceration of people to have effective law enforcement. We may have to go out and ask the public and our elected officials and law enforcement will have to help us with a funding source, which could include General Obligation Bonds for this facility. Mr. Kolb: Mr. Chairman, I would ask that the maker of the motion and the seconder amend the motion to allow it to go to the next workshop. There is a broader issue of capital financing that we must discuss with the Commission and this is just a part of it. We cant' discuss this in isolation. There are other funding needs for example the Judicial Center in terms of the short fall there. So there are other issues we need to talk about that would bring this particular project also into that discussion. Mr. Beard: I'll accept that. Mr. Shepard: I second that. Motion carries unanimously. 3. Approve an amendment to existing current contract with Prison Health Services, Ine. for expanded mental health services. The expansion will provide a full time (40 hours per week) social worker and eight hours per week psychiatric physician services. Chief Toole: I talked to Mr. Wall a while back and we did a survey of both of our facilities. Under our current contract we only 4 hours of psychiatric services at the Walton Way facility and 4 hours on Phinizy Road and about 48 hours of social worker services for the inmates. We did an analysis through our medical department. We have about 30% of our population now that are on mild to moderate psychotropic drugs. At any given time we have about 15-18% of our inmates that have taken or have requested mental health such as psychiatric services or antidepressant or anti-anxiety drugs. The jailers cannot make that determination. We'll have to have a professional person make determinations for the medications that these people need. We're warehousing a number of people now that have a number and range of mental problems at the 401 facility. We're actually running out of room. We have a special needs unit that has 22-beds. There is no way to build on to that unit. We try to keep those people downtown and not at Phinizy Road. Although we do have some mild to moderate folks out there that are taking some type of mental health drug. This contract carries us through this year. I talked to Mr. Ellison and Mr. Wall again about possibly before the end of the year looking at rebidding the medical contract and see what other companies we could get involved to come in and see what services they can provide us and at what cost. I Mr. Wall: I was going to request that the Commission go ahead and authorize us to issue a notice that we would not renew the contract beyond December 31, 2002 and that we go through the RFP process for health care services. If we go ahead and get that started now so that we'll have plenty of time to get it out on the street, evaluated and move forward. For everyone's benefit, the contract automatically renews. There is 120-day provision however, by doing it now, basically we're giving them 6-months notice and we have a lot more lead time to go out and get proposals for 2003 and beyond. We're having a lot of problems with PHS, who is the current health provider. We feel we need to go ahead and start the process. I Mr. Shepard: I move that we accept the first amendment to the contract as recommended by Chief Toole. I don't see a funding source. I guess it'll have to be contingency, George? Mr. Kolb: I believe that we can probably fund it within the current allocation of the Sheriff's Dept. Mr. Shepard: I move that we accept the first amendment to the contract as recommended by Chief Toole. Funded within the current allocation and that we follow the Attorney's recommendation by giving notice of termination of the contract 12/31/02. And that we also start the process to obtain a new provider, which wonld be the RFP process. I Mr. Beard: Second. I Motion carries unanimously. ADJOURNMENT: With no further business to discuss the meeting was adjourned. Lena J. Bonner Clerk of Commission I I - I PUBLIC SAFETY AGENDA COrvrMITTEE ROOM - June 21, 2002 10:30 A. M. I. Approve the purchase of licenses for Microsoft desktop applications and server products. 2. Approve contracting with Precision Planning for a sum to be determined for the design and planning regarding the construction of two pods at the Augusta- Richmond County Detention Center. The design is to acco=odate one pod for female inmates and one pod for male inmates. Each pod will increase capacity by 21,000 square feet which enables the increased capacity of 156 beds for inmates. The design to be accomplished by a duplication of previous construction to facilitate a more rapid design phase at a lower cost than could otherwise be obtained by going to a different source. Funding is provided in existing county funds. 3. Approve an amendment to existing current contract with Prison Health Services, Inc. for expanded mental health services. The expansion will provide a full time (40 hours per week) social worker and eight hours per week psychiatric physician services. ...... -- ~