Task force tackles jail issues

A newly formed task force is taking on the challenge of finding way to improve operations at the Douglas County Jail.

The panel is tasked with learning more about the operation, regulations that guide it and finances of the jail to develop recommendations the county board can consider in the future. Panel members include Douglas County jail staff and elected officials as well as a variety of citizens with experience in corrections or finance, or simply a desire to learn and help.

The Douglas County Board created the task force to consider options for the costly operation. Opened in 2003, the 219-bed facility designed to house inmates has been falling short of generating revenue to support its operation. In fact, this year, taxpayers will pick up the tab for $3.4 million of the cost in the tax levy for the $5.4 million operation.

The Douglas County Jail represents about 11 percent of the county’s overall budget annually.

One of the things people in the community don’t understand about jail is that whether there are six people in the building or 106, it still requires nine staff members to be in the jail, said County Board Supervisor Nick Baker.

While the jail was constructed with state-of-the-art technology at the time it was built, the five-story jail requires a minimum number of staff on each floor to manage the housing blocks.

“It’s the way it’s designed,” Baker said. “… This is a common design of this type of building and everyone is concerned about the cost of running it.”

Lisa Holm of Superior said she would be interested in learning more about Wisconsin’s jail regulations and how they impact the operation of the jail. Holm works in corrections in Minnesota, which has lower incarceration rates than Wisconsin despite similar populations.

Sheriff Tom Dalbec said one of his goals over the course of the next several months is to have a Wisconsin Department of Corrections jail inspector provide answers about requirements of jails in Wisconsin to the committee.

“Running a jail is like running a town,” said Jayne Ross of Gordon, a citizen member of the panel who spent 17 years working in jail administration in Dane County.

County Board Supervisor Jack Sweeney said he would like to get a handle of the trends in incarceration rates to see the direction the county is going and determine if the jail — intended to be profitable — is still a feasible option.

Sweeny said he’s seen the reports on the jail and knows it’s well-run by a good staff, but the issue comes down to dollars and cents, and whether the county can operate a for-profit jail.

While Douglas County has fallen short of the profitability expected when the jail was constructed more than a decade ago, housing inmates for out-of-county law enforcement agencies does generate revenue that keeps taxpayers from picking up the full tab for its operation. More than $1.3 million of the jail’s budget this year is expected to come from providing services to outside government agencies.

After a tour of the jail during the inaugural meeting last week, committee members agreed it would be a good idea to tour the jail again during their deliberations.

Later this month, the task force will consider the finances of the jail. Over the next four months, the task force will meet at 6 p.m. on the last Wednesday of the month. The next meeting is planned for Feb. 29.

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