Deputies, jail staff to get bonuses

CARES Act funds will also fund jail maintenance

Oklahoma County commissioners approved roughly $8 million of CARES Act funding Friday to be used for maintenance problems at the county jail and bonuses for some jail staff, sheriff's deputies and juvenile bureau workers.

The requests were somewhat controversial since Commissioner Kevin Calvey initially did not present them through the approved oversight process for CARES Act funds, which are part of a relief package from the federal government to deal with COVID-19.

The county received roughly $47 million from Congress in April, and so far has spent $1.5 million on eviction mitigation and millions more to reimburse county departments for personal protective equipment and work-from-home tools.

The Oklahoma County Jail Trust will now have $3 million in CARES dollars to use for “hero pay” bonuses for j ail employees who show up to work for all of their shifts, Calvey said.

The jail has struggled in recent weeks with serious staff shortages because of a COVID-19 outbreak.

The jail trust will have another $3 million of CARES dollars for jail maintenance, specifically to refurbish the plumbing and air ventilation systems.

The Oklahoma County sheriff's office and the county's juvenile bureau each received $ 1 million for bonus pay, as well. The money will be split so employees from those departments will get a lump sum not attached to work attendance, officials told commissioners.