Dukes Looks To Expand Medical Care At County Jail
January 23, 2019 at 5:09 p.m.
Dukes Looks To Expand Medical Care At County Jail
By David [email protected]
At the Kosciusko County Commissioners meeting Tuesday morning, Dukes said his office’s medical contract with Advanced Correctional Healthcare for the jail expires Feb. 1.
Dukes said he sat through Advanced’s presentation on what it could provide this year for the sheriff’s office. It provides two nurses at 70 hours per week.
The second company that gave a presentation, Quality Correctional Care, offers two nurses but at 80 hours per week.
“To have two nurses at 80 hours a week, I think it is going to provide law enforcement the tools necessary, and also the jail and the jail staff and the jail commander. Those extra 10 hours at the end of the day are absolutely crucial,” Dukes said.
When representatives for Advanced and Quality gave their sales pitches, Dukes said one thing that he heard from Quality that he didn’t hear from Advanced was “a lot of the liability.” He said there was a lot of liability that Quality covers that Advanced did not.
Another thing Dukes said he liked about Quality was that it’s an Indiana-based company and that the owner worked at the Delaware County Sheriff’s Office for many years and her husband was a two-term sheriff. Quality’s website (qualitycorrectional.com) indicates Lisa Scroggins is the owner.
“She sat there and said, ‘You know, Sheriff, I know the problems. I’ve been there. I’ve seen it. I’ve dealt with them personally. I’ve started my own business and I fixed your problems because I know what you got through,’” Dukes recalled. “And in the 20 days I’ve been here, I know exactly what she’s talking about.”
Mental health is a big problem in the jails, he said.
“There’s people in jail that the mental health, they don’t need to be in jail, they need to be in a mental health hospital. The one thing that Quality does is, the mental health and the options that they provide for the inmate, and also for the (KCSO) co-workers is phenomenal. That’s something we haven’t had,” Dukes said.
He said Quality Correctional Care’s contract is about $10,000 more a year than Advanced, but it provides more hours and services. He requested the commissioners approve the contract with Quality as it’s “best for Kosciusko County.”
Commissioner Cary Groninger told Dukes he appreciated his work in researching the two companies, and then Commissioner Bob Conley made the motion to approve Dukes’ recommendation, which was approved. Brad Jackson, third commissioner, was absent Tuesday.
They also approved Dukes’ request to sign a contract with Lieberman Technologies, Evansville, which handles tax warrants.
Tax warrants create liens against property to collect unpaid taxes (income or otherwise) and are filed by the Department of Revenue in the county or counties where the taxpayer owns property, according to the state’s website.
By going with the contract, Dukes said it will save the assistant jail matron time because tax warrants will be “taken off her plate.”
Lieberman Technologies works with 74 sheriff’s offices in Indiana.
The contract is for a year with an annual fee of $3,500 and an initial set-up fee for 2019, making the total bill $8,000. For 2020, if the contract is renewed, the cost will only include the annual fee.
In 2018, Kosciusko County brought in about $6,800 in tax warrant money, Dukes said, but he expects to see an increase in that through the contract with Lieberman. The money to pay for the service will come out of the sheriff’s office budget.
Dukes also introduced the new jail commander, Shane Coney, who worked previously in the Noble County Sheriff’s Office and began his new job Jan. 1.
“I will stand behind this man all day long. Truly, truly, one of the best jail commanders in the state of Indiana. And, again, I will stand by that all day long. He is proactive and we have done a lot of things to reduce the (jail) population,” Dukes said.
In other business, the commissioners approved:
• County Administrator Marsha McSherry to sign closing documents for property the county wants to purchase for a coroner’s building. The location of the property was not disclosed.
County attorney Chad Miner said two appraisals have been received on the property and the average came in “at a greater amount than we had offered on it” so the county could proceed forward.
After the meeting, Miner said, assuming everything transpires according to plan, the closing for the property should take place by the end of this month.
• A coordination contract with the Indiana Department of Transportation for bridge 227, as requested by Highway Superintendent Scott Tilden. The bridge is on South Hand Street over Walnut Creek.
The contract covers federal funds for preliminary engineering, Tilden said. The county was awarded funds for construction and construction inspection in February 2018, and the coordination contract is an addition.
“They’re going to come back and pick up 80 percent of the preliminary engineering, which is good. Not to exceed the federal amount, not to exceed $180,177.60,” he said.
Tilden also requested the commissioners approve a financial commitment letter for the 2019 Community Crossings Grant application; and delay for two weeks his recommendation for the purchase of a three-quarter ton pickup truck, which the commissioners did.
Bids for two 2020 single-axle dump truck chassis, two dump body equipment for single-axle chassis, one 2020 tandem axle dump truck chassis and one dump body equipment for tandem axle chassis were opened. Tilden will make his recommendation on the bids to the commissioners at the Feb. 5 meeting.
A bid date for bridge No. 9 on Husky Trail over Deeds Creek to replace the 51-year-old culverts with a new precast concrete structure was set for 9:15 a.m. Feb. 19.
• A resolution to have a commissioners sale this year, as well as an agreement with SRI Services to conduct the sale, as requested by Nicole Keller, chief deputy for the county treasurer’s office. She said it’s been several years since the last commissioners sale and they have one every several years to clean up the property that’s been on the tax sale several times.
Groninger said he talked to County Treasurer Rhonda Helser last week. “I know, just going through that list, there’s quite a list of properties and most of those are empty lots and brownfields, and anything we can do to get them off the nonpayer list and back on the tax rolls” is the goal, he said.
As part of the motion approving the resolution and agreement, the minimum bid for each property was set at $100.
• McSherry’s request to award the completion of the north side of the highway shop to Robinson Construction and the garage doors work to Mike’s Garage Door Service.
At the Kosciusko County Commissioners meeting Tuesday morning, Dukes said his office’s medical contract with Advanced Correctional Healthcare for the jail expires Feb. 1.
Dukes said he sat through Advanced’s presentation on what it could provide this year for the sheriff’s office. It provides two nurses at 70 hours per week.
The second company that gave a presentation, Quality Correctional Care, offers two nurses but at 80 hours per week.
“To have two nurses at 80 hours a week, I think it is going to provide law enforcement the tools necessary, and also the jail and the jail staff and the jail commander. Those extra 10 hours at the end of the day are absolutely crucial,” Dukes said.
When representatives for Advanced and Quality gave their sales pitches, Dukes said one thing that he heard from Quality that he didn’t hear from Advanced was “a lot of the liability.” He said there was a lot of liability that Quality covers that Advanced did not.
Another thing Dukes said he liked about Quality was that it’s an Indiana-based company and that the owner worked at the Delaware County Sheriff’s Office for many years and her husband was a two-term sheriff. Quality’s website (qualitycorrectional.com) indicates Lisa Scroggins is the owner.
“She sat there and said, ‘You know, Sheriff, I know the problems. I’ve been there. I’ve seen it. I’ve dealt with them personally. I’ve started my own business and I fixed your problems because I know what you got through,’” Dukes recalled. “And in the 20 days I’ve been here, I know exactly what she’s talking about.”
Mental health is a big problem in the jails, he said.
“There’s people in jail that the mental health, they don’t need to be in jail, they need to be in a mental health hospital. The one thing that Quality does is, the mental health and the options that they provide for the inmate, and also for the (KCSO) co-workers is phenomenal. That’s something we haven’t had,” Dukes said.
He said Quality Correctional Care’s contract is about $10,000 more a year than Advanced, but it provides more hours and services. He requested the commissioners approve the contract with Quality as it’s “best for Kosciusko County.”
Commissioner Cary Groninger told Dukes he appreciated his work in researching the two companies, and then Commissioner Bob Conley made the motion to approve Dukes’ recommendation, which was approved. Brad Jackson, third commissioner, was absent Tuesday.
They also approved Dukes’ request to sign a contract with Lieberman Technologies, Evansville, which handles tax warrants.
Tax warrants create liens against property to collect unpaid taxes (income or otherwise) and are filed by the Department of Revenue in the county or counties where the taxpayer owns property, according to the state’s website.
By going with the contract, Dukes said it will save the assistant jail matron time because tax warrants will be “taken off her plate.”
Lieberman Technologies works with 74 sheriff’s offices in Indiana.
The contract is for a year with an annual fee of $3,500 and an initial set-up fee for 2019, making the total bill $8,000. For 2020, if the contract is renewed, the cost will only include the annual fee.
In 2018, Kosciusko County brought in about $6,800 in tax warrant money, Dukes said, but he expects to see an increase in that through the contract with Lieberman. The money to pay for the service will come out of the sheriff’s office budget.
Dukes also introduced the new jail commander, Shane Coney, who worked previously in the Noble County Sheriff’s Office and began his new job Jan. 1.
“I will stand behind this man all day long. Truly, truly, one of the best jail commanders in the state of Indiana. And, again, I will stand by that all day long. He is proactive and we have done a lot of things to reduce the (jail) population,” Dukes said.
In other business, the commissioners approved:
• County Administrator Marsha McSherry to sign closing documents for property the county wants to purchase for a coroner’s building. The location of the property was not disclosed.
County attorney Chad Miner said two appraisals have been received on the property and the average came in “at a greater amount than we had offered on it” so the county could proceed forward.
After the meeting, Miner said, assuming everything transpires according to plan, the closing for the property should take place by the end of this month.
• A coordination contract with the Indiana Department of Transportation for bridge 227, as requested by Highway Superintendent Scott Tilden. The bridge is on South Hand Street over Walnut Creek.
The contract covers federal funds for preliminary engineering, Tilden said. The county was awarded funds for construction and construction inspection in February 2018, and the coordination contract is an addition.
“They’re going to come back and pick up 80 percent of the preliminary engineering, which is good. Not to exceed the federal amount, not to exceed $180,177.60,” he said.
Tilden also requested the commissioners approve a financial commitment letter for the 2019 Community Crossings Grant application; and delay for two weeks his recommendation for the purchase of a three-quarter ton pickup truck, which the commissioners did.
Bids for two 2020 single-axle dump truck chassis, two dump body equipment for single-axle chassis, one 2020 tandem axle dump truck chassis and one dump body equipment for tandem axle chassis were opened. Tilden will make his recommendation on the bids to the commissioners at the Feb. 5 meeting.
A bid date for bridge No. 9 on Husky Trail over Deeds Creek to replace the 51-year-old culverts with a new precast concrete structure was set for 9:15 a.m. Feb. 19.
• A resolution to have a commissioners sale this year, as well as an agreement with SRI Services to conduct the sale, as requested by Nicole Keller, chief deputy for the county treasurer’s office. She said it’s been several years since the last commissioners sale and they have one every several years to clean up the property that’s been on the tax sale several times.
Groninger said he talked to County Treasurer Rhonda Helser last week. “I know, just going through that list, there’s quite a list of properties and most of those are empty lots and brownfields, and anything we can do to get them off the nonpayer list and back on the tax rolls” is the goal, he said.
As part of the motion approving the resolution and agreement, the minimum bid for each property was set at $100.
• McSherry’s request to award the completion of the north side of the highway shop to Robinson Construction and the garage doors work to Mike’s Garage Door Service.
Have a news tip? Email [email protected] or Call/Text 360-922-3092