The aging infrastructure at St. Tammany Parish Jail is causing deterioration, and according to parish leaders, there isn’t enough money to fix the serious issues.
“We’re having plumbing issues with drainpipes collapsing. We’re having electronical issues, issues with air conditioning,” Sheriff Bret Ibert said.
During a rare tour inside the jail, Ibert showed areas heavily impacted by lack of cooling.
Where officers once dined, that area is now used for meal prep because the kitchen is too hot to work in due to the HVAC system not working properly.
There are temporary units placed throughout the facility for cooling, but some of those units are not cooling off the rooms entirely.
In one of the rooms where correctional officers monitor inmates, the heat consumed the space. There is a temporary unit inside of the room, but you can only feel the air if you sit right in front of it.
“It’s a huge effect on the employees that are having to work here and really makes retirement and recruitment difficult when they come in, and they have to work in these conditions,” Ibert said.
The warden of the jail had to close down certain cell blocks where inmates are normally housed because of the cooling issues.
Ibert said that if this happens to more spaces, he will have to transfer out state and federal Inmates to make room for bedding.
He believes this will add to the funding crisis because those inmates help close the funding gap by millions because it’s money the parish does not have to worry about.
While the jail receives $3.50 per day for parish inmates, it receives $29.30 per day for Department of Corrections inmates and $75 per day for federal inmates.
According to the sheriff’s department, the cost to operate the jail in Fiscal Year 26 was $22 million.
A total of $12.4 million of those expenses were classified as Parish Government expenses. However, the Parish Government only paid $5.5 million, so the sheriff’s office transferred $7.5 million from its general fund to cover jail expenses.
In June, voters in St. Tammany Parish approved to renew a millage for the sheriff’s department by 65% of vote.
The approval was a major victory for the sheriff’s department as it secured funding to fund salaries and benefits for the deputies.
However, this money is not supposed to be used to cover the Parish’s obligated portion of maintaining the jail.
“Every dollar I take out of my general fund is less money that I can spend on the enforcement side of the sheriff’s office,” Ibert said. “That’s fewer money for deputies, investigators, specialized units.”
Parish President Mike Cooper released this statement:
“We are actively educating the public on the need for funding for the jail, DA’s office and the 22nd JDC. There is only $14 M available to cover a $32 M need. We encourage our citizens to get involved and examine the proposed sales tax to fund the operations that keep St. Tammany safe.”
If the proposed sales tax does not pass in December, the sheriff’s office will have to increase its support to $14 million, which Ibert claims is not sustainable.
“It’s at some point, there’s going to be an effect to law enforcement services if the parish doesn’t come up with some type of funding source,” Ibert said. “And right now, it’s the tax proposal that’s on the ballot for December.”
READ MORE:Cooling and plumbing issues plague St. Tammany Parish Jail amid funding crisis
