Greene County Sheriff Steve Burns was asked Tuesday to explain what needs to happen for the Greene County Detention Center to remain certified.

The question came from Commissioner Hilton Seay, during a joint meeting of three committees -- Law Enforcement, Budget & Finance, and Courthouse/Workhouse.

Sheriff Burns said officials with the Tennessee Corrections Institute (TCI) have told him he needs to have 70 to 80 fewer inmates in the present detention center, or jail, next to the Greene County Courthouse for it to remain certified.

Decertification of the workhouse on Summer Street is not threatened.

Commissioner Seay asked how many federal inmates normally are housed at the detention center, or jail. Burns said that about 70 federal inmates are housed there on a regular basis.

Seay said it is his understanding that if the federal inmates were cut, "that would meet criteria, but we would have to increase taxes," because revenue from housing federal inmates is already assumed in the current year's budget of the county government.

Sheriff Burns said that is correct, and that revenue from state prisoners is also assumed. Burns also said that if the federal inmates were removed today, the detention center would still be operating at close to capacity.

Seay asked if that means that the detention center needs the current number of federal inmates "to break even." Burns said that is correct, and that revenue from inmates is used to help balance the entire budget of the county government.

Seay asked if a new, 200-bed detention center would result in enough space to house enough inmates to generate the revenue needed to pay for its construction.

Sheriff Burns said a new 200-inmate detention center, or jail, would be approximately the minimum number needed for the revenue target. "Three-hundred beds is better," the sheriff said.

Seay asked how many additional inmates are needed to generate enough revenue to cover the cost of constructing a new detention center.

Burns said 100 state inmates and 100 federal inmates are needed. Together, he said, that many state and federal inmates would generate about $3 million. If half of that revenue is needed to feed the inmates, that would leave $1.5 million annually to be used for bond payments.

Burns said a $25 million bond can be serviced for $1.65 million per year.

Burns said he estimates that the cost of feeding and guarding the inmates would be lower, however, leaving more than $1.5 million.

Seay said he is "getting to the point" where he would like to consider building a 400-bed detention center, or jail, and using the additional revenue to build a school in addition to a detention center.

The county school board is asking the commission to come up with $27 million for a new high school to replace West Greene High School.

Seay asked U.S. Marshal Jeff Heddon if the county government could be guaranteed enough federal prisoners to fill a 400-bed detention center.

"Probably not," Heddon said, adding, "It's hard to deal in what-ifs."

Burns said he would "reach out" to the other 94 counties in Tennessee if a larger detention center is built, because most jails in the state are crowded, and no immediate plans for increasing state prison space have been announced.

Commissioner Alex Edens noted that County Mayor Alan Broyles and the county budget director said last week that the county government is "maxed out at the amount we can legally owe, can legally borrow."
However, Burns said that he thinks a 200-bed or 300-bed detetion center, or jail, can pay for itself.

Heddon said the $48 per diem rate that the county government is paid now is based on the current detention center. He said the county could legitimately argue for a higher per diem rate for a more modern facility.

Heddon also said that, if the county were to consider building a detention center with spaces to accommodate prisoners with special needs, then that would also drive the per-diem rate up.

Heddon said the federal prison system has a critical need for beds for female prisoners, system-wide. He also said that if the county were to build a "small, secure medical wing," that such a facility "would draw people from all over the country," because that need is also very critical in the federal system.

Heddon suggested that it might be feasible to get staffing help from the medical school at ETSU.

Seay noted that the commission is facing several funding requests at the same time, including a possible new West Grenee High School, improvements at the airport, and the need for increased funding for the county's Highway Department.

Seay said he has already been asked by several citizens if the commission will "put a jail ahead of a school."

Architect Dan Bolt, of Salem Va., the jail expert the county has retained for this project, said another way of framing that question could be, "Which comes first? Security or education?"

Bolt said security is necessary for society to work.

Heddon suggested that the Greene County Commission consider holding a public forum on the need for a new detention center, to give citizens a direct opportunity to hear the sheriff's reasoning, and to understand the way the funding process being contemplated would work.

Several commissioners said that seems like a good idea.