Effective plan needed to pay for jail

When it comes to the Mississippi County Jail and the current controversy over municipal jail fees, there are a couple of things that seem certain.

One, the jail will be paid for. There's never been any question about that.

Two, it is taxpayers living within Mississippi County who will foot the bill. And that's the way it ought to be,

The only question — and the main issue that has sparked controversy over the past few years — is which taxpayers will pay which portion of the jail's expenses. And that's a question with no easy answer.

A big portion of the jail's expense is covered by a county-wide jail tax. That tax was sold to voters some years ago as a fee that would support the maintenance and operation of the county facility. But as time has gone by, the cost of running the jail — like everything else in life — has gone up. And though county sales tax revenues have been on the upswing, the jail tax has apparently not generated enough revenue to cover expenses.

So in recent years, the county has made up for the shortfall by charging municipalities who house misdemeanor prisoners at the county jail a daily fee, per prisoner. The county has also diverted money from the county's general fund to help pay for the jail.

There's nothing wrong with any of this. It's legal; it's more or less fair. It's what other counties and cities in Arkansas do.

But what has generated controversy in the past, and again the last couple of weeks, is the county's decision to hike the fees it is charging municipalities to a level that is creating a budget crunch for cities. Blytheville Mayor Barrett Harrison, for instance, has complained loudly about the jail fees, and the Blytheville City Council has already raised millage rates to pay the fees. Other communities are no doubt feeling the pinch as well.

It's worth pointing out here, that at present, the county has been able to pass a budget for 2009 that is balanced, and apparently was able to do so without any cuts in county services. The budget for the jail is in the black, and this was accomplished without factoring in the latest increase in jail fees. In other words, it looks like the county is covering growing jail expenses out of its general fund, but hopes in the future to have the growing expenses covered via municipal fees. At least that's what it looks like from this perspective.

But what I don't understand is why there's anything wrong with the county covering jail expenses out of the general fund. Why force the cities to shoulder such an increasing chunk of the burden? After all, when a bad guy is locked up in the county jail, it's not like the cities are the only ones who benefit. In today's world, criminals migrate from one area to another, and any one area's high crime rate is a problem for everybody.

The truth is, keeping criminals in jail is something that benefits each and every citizen of our county. It doesn't matter whether the crime occurred in Blytheville, or Osceola, or Luxora, or Manila. County residents have a mutual interest in seeing those guys behind bars.

It's also worth a look at the consequences of jacking up the fees charged to municipalities. In short, if a city has to spend $55 a day to house an inmate, that's $55 a day less to spend on any other public service or quality of life enhancement in the city. It's less money to spend on police officers' salaries; less money to spend on fire departments; less money to spend on roads; less money to spend on parks.

With cities facing the budget crunch, the two most likely consequences of higher jail fees are reduced public services or higher taxes. And in a time when cities and the county alike are constantly trying to recruit new industry and new residents, neither option is particularly attractive.

It seems as though the citizens of Mississippi County would be more well-served to pay for the increasing costs of the county jail through the county's general fund. At least based on the 2009 budget, the county looks like it is reasonably well-positioned to be able to do so. When you think about it, since a majority of the county's population resides in cities, the majority of the money being used to pay for the jail will be coming from the cities anyway.

The thing to remember is that we're all in this together. Mississippi County and the communities within it are not autonomous entities, that just happen to be geographical neighbors. The truth is, they are intrinsically connected and linked and intertwined. Residents of cities contribute the largest portion of the county's revenue; county residents rely on cities for shopping, recreation and other public services. The relationship is symbiotic.

So when it comes to paying for a jail, a solution is needed that looks out for the best interests all residents of Mississippi County. And speaking as a county resident who does not reside within any city, I'm not sure tapping into the strained budgets of municipalities is the way to do it.