Yesterday on WRNE radio, Escambia County Commissioner Lumon May said he would support a property tax increase to cover the rising detention costs, provide an increase in the sheriff’s budget, and bring about pay equity for county employees, particularly long-time workers who are barely making ends meet.
The commissioner told Inweekly that he also wants to convene the County’s Public Safety Coordinating Council to look at the criminal justice system and come up with ways to cut costs and save the taxpayers money.
“If we can rein in our detention costs, I will be the first to advocate rolling back the millage next year,” said Commissioner May.
A key to managing the criminal justice and detention costs may be to settle with Justice Concepts Incorporated (JCI) so that they will release their 2013 study and ask them to review the county’s pre-trial diversion, work release, probation and parole programs.
In the draft of the report, JCI stated the county could save millions if it implemented its recommendations.