Sheriff Stone says Detention Center May Repay LPPJ

Lincoln Parish Sheriff Mike Stone said at this morning’s meeting of the Lincoln Parish Detention Center Commission (DCC) that the money paid to the commission from the Lincoln Parish Police Jury (LPPJ) might be repaid if present budget trends continue.

Said Stone, “One day, maybe three or four years from now we look at it and we got a surplus of three, four, five million dollars, then I would maybe entertain that we could do something, especially if the jury needs it.”

Stone was responding from a question by Lincoln Parish News Online (LPNO) asking that since the DCC was now running a surplus, would the commission ever repay the money provided to it from the jury over the past several years.

Over a million dollars was taken from the jury’s courthouse capital fund to make up shortfalls in the DCC’s budget.

DCC Chairman Joe Henderson (LPPJ District 9) seemed to agree with Stone.

Said Henderson, “I think somewhere down the road that subject will come up.”

Stone also said that the DCC would likely soon forego the annual $100 thousand intergovernmental grant from the jury and the City of Ruston.

“I think we may be able to do that next year,” Stone said.

The DCC approved the 2016 proposed budget of about $4 million, double the budget of four years ago when LaSalle Corrections operated the facility.

Earlier the DCC heard from Leta Emerson who was concerned that DCC inmates were often unable to have visitors in person from friends and relatives.

Warden Jim Tuten said that the detention center hadn’t the facilities to have contact visitation, but that in the future that problem would be addressed.