County jail eyes kitchen upgrades

Staffing shortages create nearly $800K budget surplus; Lake County Council to take up issue

Ongoing staffing shortages have left close to $800,000 unspent and now Lake County Jail officials are seeking to transfer funds to other areas to spend instead of letting it sit unused.

Lake County Jail Warden Todd Wasmer said Thursday at the Lake County Council workshop since the corrections department ran short on staffing throughout the year, it caused a surplus totaling about $779,000 in funds related to employee expenses not spent.

Instead, Wasmer said, he wants to update the Lake County Jail’s cooking facilities,

“What I’m looking to do is upgrade our kitchen equipment,” Wasmer said. The current kitchen equipment hasn’t been updated in more than 20 years and came when the building was built. Most of the equipment needs to be replaced including tilt kettles, skillets and insulated carts. The carts have been repaired over the years but are no longer insulated and do not hold food at temperature. Wasmer said there are numerous items that need to be replaced.

When asked if the renovations were something he would be able to afford in 2023’s budget, Wasmer said no. The council will consider the matter at its Tuesday meeting.

The corrections department currently has 20 candidates in the pipeline who are going through testing, and he expects staffing shortages to be resolved in 2023. Wasmer said the major hurdles for the recruits are over and at this point all that is left are matters like background interviews and a lie detector test.

Sheriff’s Department Police Chief Vincent Balbo said the 20 recruits in the pipeline are a direct result of steps by the Lake County Council and Commissioners to improve compensation for corrections officers in their latest contract.

“We feel confident this is a direct result of the support given to the Lake County Jail,” Balbo said.

If a good portion of the new recruits make it through the hiring process, he said he is confident it will help bring the 2023 staffing levels up to strength.

In August, the County Council approved a new contract with corrections officer that changed the base pay. Correctional officers will receive a 7 percent pay

increase this year, bringing the starting pay for an officer to $48,270, up from $45,112, effective retroactively to Jan. 1, according to the collective bargaining agreement.

Starting pay for probationary officers will climb from $40,572 to $43,412.

Correctional sergeants will start at $54,638 up from $51,964 while lieutenants will go from $53,470 to $57,213. Deputy wardens base will start at $59,397, up from $55,511 while assistant wardens will be paid $62,001, up from the current $57,945. The salaries reflect starting base pay and apply to the department’s union officers.