6.3.10
Prisoners cost city of Columbus millions of dollars
By: Garth Bishop - www.ColumbusLocalNews.com
The city of Columbus will spend the first part of an expected $6 million this year to house prisoners.

City Council last week approved the expenditure of $1.95 million to Franklin County Correction Centers for housing city prisoners.

This is the first of multiple ordinances the city must pass to pay for prisoner housing. The rate for housing prisoners is $70 per person per day, and it is expected to total about $6 million this year, said Councilman Andrew Ginther.

Frequent council critic Barry Edney suggested the city would do well to better explore alternative sentencing options such as work-release or house arrest, rather than send people to jail for misdemeanors, considering the cost for housing prisoners.

Councilwoman Charleta Tavares agreed it makes more sense for offenders put in jail for crimes such as failure to pay child support to work off their debts rather than go to prison for it.

"We definitely should be looking at more alternative sentencing," Tavares said.

The city does have such programs in place, said Deputy Public Safety Director George Speaks. The city reopened its work-release program in December after having previously cut it for budgetary reasons.

Also, there are several specific courts in place to offer reduced jail time to specific groups of nonviolent offenders, Speaks said.

Also at its May 24 meeting, council:

* Approved an ordinance allowing the Finance Department to create purchase orders for emergency repairs for fleet management.

The move gives the department the flexibility to pay for needed parts and services more quickly, and officials expect to use it "only in the rarest of circumstances," said Assistant Finance Director for Asset Management Dave Bush.

* Gave the go-ahead for a 10-year, 75-percent tax abatement for Metro City Ventures LLC and Southwestern Acquisition LLC for a $1.59 million investment expected to bring 49 new jobs to downtown Columbus.

The development, Southwestern College -- which offers training in health services, business IT and spa and cosmetology -- would take up three floors of a five-floor building Downtown.

* Accepted a collective bargaining agreement with with Fraternal Order of Police Ohio Labor Council Inc. through April 1, 2013.

The agreement reduces employer contributions to the Ohio Public Employees Retirement System by 3 percent and increases employee contributions to premium charges by 10 percent, said Jacquilla Bass, deputy director of human resources.

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