The largest change in the sheriff’s department 2009 budget. At $695,000, Sheriff Randy Clark’s budget is $45,000 larger than last year’s. The budget includes the addition of eight new part-time court security guards for the justice center, which is scheduled to open in June.
Clark said the guards will work at $8 per hour. The justice center is set to be completed this summer.
Clark said there will need to be four guards at a time working at the justice center for five days per week, from 7:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. The guards will only be getting two weeks of training, far less than the training sheriff’s deputies receive, and will only able to be used as guards for the justice center, Clark said.
While the sheriff’s department will be reimbursed for the salaries for the new guards, costs like training, uniforms and equipment will be absorbed by the county, according to Clark. Magistrate Doug Taylor asked Clark if he thought he could get security guards at $8 per hour, and the sheriff said he probably could.
“I’ve got retired police officers and retired corrections people,” Clark said. “So far, it looks like it’s going to work out … we’re in pretty good shape.”
Trigg County Jailer James Hughes also presented his budget, which is set at almost $445,000, and said the only increase in his budget is routine medical costs, which increased from about $35,000 to $65,000.
The court also approved a $9,000 Homeland Security grant for law enforcement, which Clark said would be used for tasers and handguns.
(For the rest of the story, check out this week’s edition of The Cadiz Record.)
