KMPH Fox 26 Central San Joaquin Valley News Source in Fresno, California Entertainment, News, Sports and Weather | Supervisors Vote on Plan to Keep Jail Floors Open, Save Corrections Jobs

Supervisors Vote on Plan to Keep Jail Floors Open, Save Corrections Jobs

By Ashley Ritchie

It took more than three tense hours of discussion and deliberation Tuesday as the Fresno County Board of Supervisors tried to agree on a plan to save jobs, keep floors of the jail open and keep criminals where they belong.

"Talk to Chief Dyer and Chief Dyer will tell you people are laughing at their officers, saying go ahead and take me in, I'll be out within the hour," Henry Perea, Fresno County Supervisor, said.

After her initial proposal to lay off 69 correctional officers and close three floors of the jail, Sheriff Margaret Mims presented supervisors with four options for closing the nearly $4 million deficit.

"Based on comments, it sounds like it is just numbers. And we're not talking about just numbers here, we're talking about people and we're talking about crimes and we're talking about criminals. And it takes a certain level of funding to make all of that work together," Mims said.

The board voted four to one on the Sheriff's third option, which could call for the layoffs of 23 correctional officers and keep one floor of the jail closed.

But the jobs will be saved and the jail floors kept open if correctional officers agree to take out a "no layoff" clause they added to their $1 million concession during negotiations.

Still, the Sheriff must cut nearly $3 million by July 1st.

"There will be huge reduced services as a result of this. We are going to reduce the amount of time our helicopters are in the air. We'll reduce the amount of time our detectives work on clearing cases, but we're gonna make the budget," Mims said.

But while the Sheriff talks of reduced services, supervisors call Tuesday's decision a victory for the people of Fresno County as long as criminals stay in the jail and officers stay on–guard.

The correctional officers union is expected to make a decision about the lay–off clause anytime.

They say it might require another vote by union members.