The Yazoo County Regional Correctional Facility is close to $180,000 in the hole, and that figure continues to rise.
Although the Yazoo County Board of Supervisors announced the financial burden Monday morning, within minutes they had to spend more money with a lawn mower purchase and a potential increase in food costs at the local prison.
The local facility was over budget by $176,000 as of May 30. The county board, additionally, had to purchase a $7,000 lawn mower and is anticipating an increase in the prison’s cafeteria budget, based on the food service provider.
“It’s like everybody’s else’s checking account,” said Supervisor Jayne Dew. “You just keep drawing more than you got in there. Sooner or later, guess what? You’re in the hole.”
Donna Kraft, county administrator, said the county is also close to eight months behind in being reimbursed from Hancock Bank, which handles the facility’s bond. The wait to receive those funds also adds to the financial woes of the local jail.
Kraft said Hancock Bank recently released a June 2017 payment and are working on releasing July and August 2017 funds.
“That’s how far behind we are being reimbursed,” Kraft said. “The state pays to Hancock Bank. (Yazoo City) pays to Hancock Bank. The county pays to Hancock Bank. Hancock Bank takes the payments towards the bond on the jail first. Whatever is left, they hold until enough accumulates so that they can reimburse a month’s expense.”
Kraft added that the jail facility’s expenses average about $220,000 a month.
Supervisor Cobie Collins said he continually questioned the facility’s food expenses to former Warden Gary Edwards. He said the current figures do not add up with the 240 inmates that are housed at the facility.
“That was what I was trying to tell Gary this entire time,” Collins said. “When we had 300 inmates over there, it was about $40,000 being spent on cafeteria. When we came down to 240 inmates, that figure never changed. It stayed the same.”
The board agreed to research the cafeteria budget at the local prison and revisit the facility’s financial outlook.
