Assessing the Valley County Jail

Sheriff Glen Meier spoke with area media on May 10 about the first five years of Valley County's new detention center. According to Meier, the undertaking has been a successful one.

In the fiscal year leading up the the jail's completion (2010-11), the county's budget for the detention center exceeded its income by close to $200,000 without adjustments. As of the 2015-16 fiscal year, that discrepancy has been reduced to a mere $71,000, putting the jail closer to running entirely in the black. According to Meier, the remaining two months in the 2016 fiscal year (May-June) should see the remaining discrepancy reduced to virtually nothing.

One reason for the ongoing balancing of budget figures has been the establishment of a discretionary fund similar to typical petty cash accounts with proceeds in upwards of $30,000 annually generated by commissary sales at the jail. Meier explained that his department has been able to make some significant purchase necessary to daily operations at the jail without tapping into the detention center's regular budget.

Another reason for the jail's financial health has been a general uptick in demand for space at the 30-bed facility, a trend that has been impacted exponentially by the fact that other departments in the region have been slower to build.

Sheriff Meier also doled out praise to jail personnel, crediting jail supervisor Zeb Shawver and assistant Dewayne Ozark in particular with contributing to smooth operations here in Glasgow.