Sullivan County Commission approves funding for 30 new jail employees

BLOUNTVILLE — The Sullivan County Commission has approved funding to hire 30 new employees for the county jail expansion, set to open in December.The amendment to the 2024-25 corrections budget will give the jail $804,266.76 to cover the salaries and benefits for the 30 of 59 total staff positions needed. Michael Kennedy, financial director for the Sullivan County Sheriff's Office, told the commission that $157,000 of that budgeted funding is for equipment such as radios and uniforms. The approved staffing includes 20 shift correctional officers, one training officer, one population manager, four shift sergeants and four registered nurses. During discussion, Commissioner Hershel Glover raised concerns about the long-term costs of staffing. He acknowledged that more staff positions will need to be filled, which the sheriff's office will request funding for in the next budget cycle. "We are requesting $804,000 now, but the total cost, including equipment and benefits, for all 59 employees will be $4.7 million in the next fiscal year," Kennedy told Glover. Glover raised concerns over the financial burden, questioning why the full staffing cost was not made clearer in the resolution."We are voting on $804,000 today, but ultimately, we are committing to an additional $4 million in spending," Glover said.Sheriff Jeff Cassidy told Glover and the commission that part of the funding was needed now so they could begin the hiring process for the 30 staff positions, which will help ensure the new expansion can open without any delays. Once interviews begin in April, completing them along with background investigations will take approximately three weeks. New employees must then undergo 160 hours of basic and field training, according to the SCSO.The jail can process and train up to 10 new employees every two weeks. Given typical turnover, filling the new positions will take at least five months.Sheriff Jeff Cassidy and Chief Lee Carswell defended the hiring request, pointing out that staffing shortages and increased violence among inmates have put undue strain on the jail's existing staff."Right now, we have a staffing issue. Last year, we ran nearly $300,000 in overtime costs," Carswell explained. "The state has mandated we fix this problem, and the lawsuits against the county continue to rise."Glover challenged the necessity of 59 new hires, referencing the county's recent inmate population numbers."For the last six months, the jail population has not exceeded 900. You're handling that number with the staff you have now — why do we need 59 more?" he asked.Carswell countered that the jail is under a state plan of action to resolve overcrowding and safety concerns. "We told the state that we're gonna fix this problem. We're also doing it in the building we have now, why did we build a building? Because the state required it," Carswell said. "The state requires a staffing plan that creates a safe environment for the employees and the inmates. It's just, it's business. It's not nothing that I'm wanting to do. It's just we can't do it without it."Glover said the increased funding was a concern for him, and may be for local taxpayers, noting the county's existing $30 million bond for the jail."It should be a concern to everybody else in here," he said. "You've got people right now that can't pay the taxes that are obligated to pay now. And now we're going put five, eight, 10 cents more on them."Commissioner Daniel Horne told the commission that just because the jail is handling 900 inmates now, "doesn't mean they should.""They've got to have more people. If you want to know where the problem is, go sit in the courthouse," Horne said. "Watch, look at the dockets cases that are years and years and years old. That's the problem. Not the jail. The jail needs the people, I mean a lot."Cassidy pointed out that jail officials do not have the authority to release inmates."We're just custodians of these inmates," Cassidy said. "We have to go to the judge for any type of alternative sentencing, pretrial release or judicial diversion. We're getting people from ... Bluff city, Kingsport, Bristol, the airport. All these people are coming into our jail. We have to house them safely. And that's my statutory duty as sheriff."The commission approved the amendment, with Glover as the sole dissenting vote, allowing the sheriff's office to begin hiring and training 30 staff members in preparation for the jail's expansion.The remaining 29 positions are expected to be included in the next fiscal budget requestProperty appraisal changeSullivan County will now conduct property tax appraisals every two years instead of six, following the passage of a resolution at Thursday's meeting.The new plan, supported by Assessor of Property Donna Whitaker, moves the county from a four-year to a two-year reappraisal cycle. The change is meant to give a more accurate picture of property values, especially after the rise in values following the COVID-19 pandemic.The new system will also reduce the impact of changing sales ratios.Tennessee Comptroller Jason Mumpower expressed support for the change, noting it is a practice already adopted by both large and small counties across the state.Commissioner Jessica Means asked if the county could return to a longer appraisal cycle in the future. Mumpower said it was possible but that it would likely take the county backward.Mumpower also clarified that a reappraisal doesn't automatically lead to higher taxes.The only way the tax rate changes is by a vote for the county commission and a reappraisal requires a revenue neutral certified tax rate, which is produced by my office and sent to you independently of your action," he explained.