By C1 Staff
FRANKFORT, Ky. — With the consolidation of jails into neighboring jurisdictions in Kentucky, officials are considering slashing the pay of no-jail jailers in order to help budgeting.
WKMS reports that the Kentucky Center for Investigative Reporting revealed that there are 41 jailers in Kentucky whose jails have been consolidated with neighboring facilities.
Those offices cost taxpayers around $2 million annually.
New legislature would limit the amount local governments can pay no-jail jailers.
“It’s their money if they want to pay somebody for doing nothing. I guess the taxpayers in their district can talk to them about that but it needs to be addressed,” said House Speaker Greg Stumbo, who offered the slash proposition.
Some no-jail jailers do perform duties, such as transporting prisoners, but their salaries run between $20,000 and $70,398.
Senate President Robert Stivers agrees with Stumbo that a practical legislative solution is needed.
“If it is accurate that certain jailers have no duties, no obligations, and are performing no functions for the county, we need to look at that scaled salary that, I think, was done in the Patton administration,” he said.
State Rep. Phil Moffett has asked for a bill to be drafted that would combine the offices of jailer and sheriff in counties without functioning local jails.