CHILLICOTHE, Ohio — In a session that resonated with concerns for community safety and law enforcement efficiency, Chillicothe City Council’s safety committee members met on Monday. The councilwoman at-large who presided over the meeting, Julie Preston, had discussions of an agenda on topics, ranging from much-needed parking reforms for the law enforcement personnel who work the county to a prolonged fiscal issue regarding the housing of city-arrested individuals in the county jail.
Parking issues for law enforcement
Chairing the proceedings, Preston navigated through the intricate tapestry of issues that intersected at the crossroads of public safety and operational effectiveness. One of the main agenda item was the thorny problem of parking for law enforcement officers stationed at the downtown law enforcement complex. A number of factors, including the recent installation of parking meters by the city, led to a perplexing situation where law enforcement personnel are compelled to shuffle their personal vehicles every two hours while at work to evade the claws of parking fines by the city’s code enforcement officer.
Sheriff George Lavender, a presence at the meeting, offered a poignant account of the predicament faced by his deputies. A matter of concern, he revealed that he and his chief deputy had dug into their own pockets to settle parking tickets that had been unceremoniously issued to deputies. Sheriff Lavender underlined the disruptive impact of this parking ordeal, particularly within the confines of the jail where deputies found themselves torn between their duties and the exigency of avoiding parking citations, having to move their vehicles every two hours. The Sheriff was asking the city to allocate parking spaces to his deputies to alleviate the issue.
However, the meeting was not without its share of conversation. Mayor Luke Feeney, who entered the meeting late, said he was bit ready to just hand over parking spaces to the county. Feeney emphasized the importance of a comprehensive exploration of potential solutions. He raised topics he felt that were of concern regarding the legality of extending preferential parking privileges to law enforcement officers without the input of legal counsel from the city’s law director could be problematic. The Mayor questioned addressing the parking predicament before fully resolving the internal parking challenges faced by the city’s own police department, whom the Mayor said has to lease parking spaces for city officers to park their own cars.
Councilwoman Dr. Allison Henderson suggested the establishment of designated “law enforcement only” parking spaces in close proximity to the law enforcement complex. Her proposal resonated with the underlying theme of unity and collaboration, as echoed by Commissioner Jack Everson. Everson, a former mayor of Chillicothe himself, said that the working relationship between the city and the county, has a potential avenue for resolution. He revealed that a glimmer of hope lay on the horizon, with potential parking spaces poised to become available once LCNB National Bank vacated its premises on Main Street. Yet, he acknowledged that while the county will be taking over the old bank, it won’t happen for some time.
The Mayor said that the proposed solutions discussed could cause too many legal issues and he needed more time to look into them.
Preston’s committee has held nearly a half-a-dozen meetings about the topic, along with an exchange of several emails. Feeney, along with the city’s auditor had been absent from those meetings. When Feeney showed up Monday night, he had a litany of questions that could have been addressed weeks ago had he shown up to the meetings or been more responsive to emails. Instead, the matter was kicked down the road further. However, despite the Mayor’s roadblocks, councilwoman Preston said legislation would move forward.
Prisoner fees costing millions
The discussion of parking quandaries was not the only thing the committee discussed. The specter of a decades-long struggle loomed large—an intricate dance between city and county authorities over the fiscal responsibility of housing city-arrested individuals within the county jail. This conflict stretches back to 2010. Then-police Chief Roger Moore orchestrated a scheme, directing officers to charge detainees under state law rather than city code, effectively absolving the city from paying for prisoner expenses, according to the officials who were in attendance. Back then, the city was paying $58 a day per inmate that was arrested. This seismic shift provoked a clash between the city and the county, spanning two years and culminating in 2012. The city’s unyielding stance precipitated an impasse, a standoff that eventually crumbled under the weight of pragmatism. Sheriff Lavender recounted the county’s reluctant capitulation, highlighting the city’s intractable stance as the impetus for the resolution.
The discussion escalated as Feeney grappled with the notion of double taxation. He articulated his reservations, saying that city taxpayers were already shouldering a considerable burden through their property taxes, a burden that, he implied, encompassed the cost of the county jail. County Auditor Jeff Lehner cited legal provisions, sharing that the city’s obligation extended beyond mere property taxes and encompassed the imperative of caring for inmates “at its own expense.”
“[State law says] the legislative authority of a municipal corporation shall provide by ordinance for sustaining all persons sentenced to or confined in a prison or station house at the expense of the municipal corporation,” Lehner said. “This speaks not only to that the city is required to care for its inmates, but that it is required to do so ‘at its own expense.’ In my view this speaks directly to a separation from any issues related to that city residents pay county property taxes.
The County Auditor added that the statute continues, “… and in counties where prisons or station houses are in quarters leased from the board of county commissioners, may contract with the board for the care and maintenance of those persons by the sheriff or other person charged with the care and maintenance of county prisoners.”
Council President Joe Gerringer emphasized that funding the shared jail was a matter of paramount importance for both the city and the county. He countered Mayor Feeney’s double taxation concerns by highlighting the fundamental distinction between funding allocations for a city jail and the broader county general fund.
“The funding of the shared jail is a vital concern to our community. Not only does it impact safety on our streets but also the safety of the deputy’s, inmates and staff,” the President said. “The Mayor’s point of concern that city residents would be paying twice is moot in my opinion due to the fact that if the city had its own jail it wouldn’t be seen as ‘paying twice’. City residents taxes would support both a city jail and go to the county general fund where the commissioners would determine where it would be allocated. What the county does with their general funds received from city tax payers doesn’t impact the cities responsibilities. The jail facility was consolidated logically and an agreement for shared costs was entered.”
Lehner outlined a plan involving a daily fee of $40 per inmate from the city and the waiving of the county’s jail water bill—a bill that had long been a source of consternation for the Sheriff, who said it pained him every month to pay the water bill to the city when the city would not pay their county bill. Lehner’s proposal sought to resuscitate the spirit of cooperation and mutual support, resonating with the underlying theme of collective responsibility. Similar cities, such as Washington Court House have agreements in place to offer free water to their county jails in exchange for a reduced daily inmate fee for city prisoners.
The jail’s expenses this year are projected to reach $6.8 million, up nearly a half-million due to inflation, the County Auditor stated. With a jail that houses 155 inmates, with approximately half being city inmates, that means it is costing millions to house city inmates annually.
Mayor Feeney brought the discussion back to the idea of double property taxes. The Mayor contended that the city’s property taxes should suffice to fund the jail’s operations, expressing skepticism about the need for the city to further contribute. Lehner, again reminded the city’s duty to ensure inmate welfare that says the city is responsible for their inmates regardless of property taxes.
Gerringer noted, “When Chillicothe wins, Ross County wins and vice versa.”
Preston reiterated the urgency of action. Her plea Monday night underscored the gravity of the issues at hand, advocating for an immediate response to the parking challenges and the vital matter of housing inmates. Her words echoed that all wanted what was best.
“The funding of the shared jail is a large concern to our community. Not only does it impact the safety of our streets but also the safety of the deputies, inmates, and staff,” she said. “Along with the parking spaces, which shouldn’t even be a conversation but initiated immediately. Not only for the deputies but the Chillicothe Police Department Officers as well that have to drive their personal cars to work and transfer to a cruiser. We could afford to give those officers peace of mind while they take care of our city, county, and jail. As well as the fact we are no longer charging under city code for inmates brought into the jail and the city is quite possibly missing fees generated by the fines paid. The jail facility was consolidated logically and an agreement for shared costs was entered. Other communities have this same agreement and since the crime and drug violations have increased, unfortunately so has the number in the jails and this has seriously stretched the budgets and abilities of Sheriff’s offices statewide. We need to collectively help each other. As the Sheriff said, ‘We are all in this together!'”
By the end of the meeting. Preston said the parking issue would stay with the safety committee and the water issue should be taken up by the utility commission. Meanwhile, she urged the Mayor urgently sit down with the Sheriff and county officials and come to a resolution about the prisoner fees that suited all and that complied with state law.