By Amanda Spadaro
The Meadville Tribune
MEADVILLE, Pa. — If the Crawford County jail adds six new full-time positions, as was approved during the county Prison Board’s recent meeting, it won’t happen until next year.
On Thursday, the Prison Board voted to approve the addition of six full-time officers, which would allow for two extra guards on all three shifts, according to Ken Saulsbery, the deputy warden of the jail. An independent study of the jail from 2013 by the National Institute of Corrections suggested additional staffing and training, which would help with staffing continuity at the jail.
During the Prison Board meeting, Warden Tim Lewis said the jail will be able to fund those six positions for the remainder of 2015, but it would have to be added into the jail’s 2016 budget. However, Saulsbery said he and Lewis determined the best course of action would be to lengthen the interview process and wait until January for the six full-time officers to start.
“What we want to do is add those positions in the new (2016) budget,” Saulsbery said. “This is the best way to get (the positions) added on but still make sure we hire the best people.”
Saulsbery had planned to make a presentation to Crawford County commissioners on Tuesday, requesting the additional job openings. The topic will likely be brought back to the commissioners within the next month, he said.
Saulsbery said he did not know how much it would cost to add six full-time positions in 2016 and Lewis was not available on Tuesday for comment on the cost.
A preliminary calculation for the final quarter of 2015 was that six full-time jail officials would cost the county $66,000 including benefits, according to County Administrator Mark Lessig.
County commissioners must approve the proposal before the six new positions could be added. All three county commissioners, Francis Weiderspahn Jr., Jack Lynch and C. Sherman Allen, serve on the Prison Board as well. Weiderspahn and Allen were part of the Prison Board’s unanimous agreement last Thursday to add the positions, while Lynch was absent from the Prison Board meeting.