The warden of the Yazoo County Regional Correctional Facility told county leaders this week he wanted to “set some records straight” surrounding the jail’s personnel and the facility’s tight budget.
Warden Gary Edwards said he was referring to the recent article that was published in The Yazoo Herald. The Herald’s article outlined the increased number of personnel at the local jail and the county’s concern over the facility’s operational costs, which are anticipated to reach nearly $200,000 over budget by the end of the fiscal year.
“That kind of affected me some, and it kind of made me upset dealing with that article,” Edwards said, during Monday’s Yazoo County Board of Supervisors meeting. “I need to set some records straight. I think I’ve got every right to speak on it.”
The county board approved a hiring freeze last month in response to a tight budget. With some departments potentially going over their budget, county leaders were concerned about the remaining months left in the fiscal year.
One department that has significantly went over budget this year is the correctional facility.
Based on county records, The Herald reported that when the facility first opened six years ago, the entire facility was operated with a total of 42 employees. The number of employees increased to a total of 53 employees.
“From the beginning of the building of the facility that Ed Hargett (a former management service provider for the jail) said it was 42 staff that could run that facility,” Edwards said. “Actually even though he said that…according to (American Correctional Association) standards under Warden (Dianne Gaston-Riley), it was 45. That is what she started on with. But on down through the years, she still had more staff workers. She kept putting peoples in place. She would hire more people than 45 actually at that time. When Warden (Mary) Rushing got there, she kept it going. When I got in the position, I think the only somebody I actually hired was for the control tower work. And that was it.”
“You hired one person,” asked Supervisor Cobie Collins.
“During that time,” Edwards replied. “Now I know I came to the board meeting before, and I asked the board about sometimes we come up short staff like people get sick and all that type of stuff. I think you told me to hire at least three or four more part time. But I actually didn’t hire but two. That must have put it up to 53. But I actually didn’t hire no 53 under me. It was already established there.”
“But if you hired two more, it would have only been 48,” Collins said. “That doesn’t add up to 53.”
“But what I said earlier even though (Riley) said 45, she hired more people there,” Edwards said.
District 3 Supervisor Willie “Deuce” Wright asked Edwards how many employees were currently at the facility.
“The number keeps climbing,” Wright said.
“According to the paper, they said under Warden Edwards’ leadership, it was 53,” Edwards said. “The reason the jail house is in the red zone now.”
