LITTLE ROCK — The Pulaski County sheriff and treasurer stood under the rotting roof of the old jail Tuesday with outstretched hands asking the public not for treats, but for $131,928 in donations to repair the roof - a first step toward reopening the building.
Donations to the "First Step" fundraising drive will go into a public safety fund - the Quorum Court has already chipped in $856,575 - to pay the $988,503 needed to repair the leaking roof and renovate the building's heating and air-conditioning systems, said Pulaski County Treasurer Debra Buckner and County Sheriff Doc Holladay during a news conference.
Even if the roof is repaired, Holladay said, the county won't have the money to increase the number of beds available for inmates - budget cuts have limited the number of beds available for the past two years.
The old jail has not housed prisoners since April, when 160 inmates were moved to the nearby Work Release Center on Roosevelt Road because water from the roof was leaking into cells and creating a health hazard. Most of the county'sinmates are housed in a newer portion of the jail complex off South Woodrow Road.
"One of the reasons that we are well below our capacity is because the roof of the old jail has begun to deteriorate," Holladay said, pointing up at the caved-in roof in the jail's gym. "This is an opportunity for the public to assist us in repairing the roof."
The jail has been in financial straits since a 2005 financial crunch forced the county to cut jail capacity from 1,130 to 880.
"Before we see any real benefit of more beds available, we are going to have to find the funding for the staff and the operation costs for those beds," Holladay said, estimating the additional cost to increase jail capacity to 1,130 beds at between $2.5 million and $3 million annually.
But having cells ready for inmates will show that the county is taking steps to improve the jail situation, and will hopefully build trust with the public, Buckner said.
"We want to be very proactive in what it is going to take for us to get our house in order, to get this place back in shape so that when money is available for us to operate, nobody is waiting on us," she said.
The idea of seeking public donations to pay for a county jail is rare but "inventive," said Fred Wilson, director of operations for the National Sheriffs Association, based in Alexandria, Va.
"Usually you call those donations taxes, and some people would argue those aren't donations," Wilson quipped.
Though he said public donations are not the "usual" method of funding jails, Wilson said he applauded the county for its inventiveness.
"I would like to see how this works out," he said.
The idea was developed after people called Buckner and Holladay, asking how they could help with the jail situation, Buckner said, adding that she had personally fielded four phone calls.
Buckner and Holladay opened the fund with personal donations of $131 each and Holladayannounced that an anonymous donor had contributed $5,000. The nearly $857,000 already in the fund came from two state allocations.
The old jail is undergoing a structural analysis to determine whether any other repairs are needed to make it ready for inmates, Holladay said. Once the study is completed, the county will put out a request for bids for the project, which is estimated to be at least a three-month job, he said.
"We won't be able to occupy it until we fund the staff, pay for the food and medical costs, and all of the other associated costs," Holladay said. "But youhave to start somewhere. You have to get it fixed in order for it to be occupied."
The proposed jail budget for 2008 is $16.1 million - roughly the same as in 2007 - to staff and operate the jail. Providing medical care for inmates is expected to cost an additional $3.3 million. In 2007, the budget included $3.4 million to cover those costs.
The jail's operating budget includes $2 million contributed by Little Rock, North Little Rock, Jacksonville, Sherwood and Maumelle - enough to fund 880 beds. Housing more inmates without more money for staff could be dangerous or could put the county in legal jeopardy, the county has said.
Donations are tax-deductible and can be made at any treasurer's office location, Buckner said.
Arkansas, Pages 9, 13 on 10/31/2007