Chatham Commission considers criminal justice leadership meeting to discuss budget allocation

Only one commissioner, District 6, Aaron Whitely, proposed a budget addition. He pushed for an update to the vehicle allowance policy to cover "wear and tear" on commissioners' personal cars they use in their duties.

“I’m not asking to increase the mileage for out-of-town trips, but for wear and tear on our vehicles as we travel here in town: $100, $200, something like that, just to help offset our expenses,” Whitely said. “I think that is fair and in order.”

District 1 Commissioner Helen Stone noted she believed a mileage-based stipend would be the best way to implement such a provision. Whitely was on board, noting he supported that as an “accountability measure.”

“I’ve often wondered the fair way to do that. Obviously our districts are very different and some of us drive significantly more than others,” Stone said. “A car allowance would be extremely helpful with all the neighborhood meets and back and forth, but some of us drive a lot more than others.”

Whitely also questioned the dollars the county spends on long-term detainees in the Chatham County Jail. Citing a report from District Attorney Shalena Cook Jones, Whitely said the county spends $5 million annually to house inmates who have spent more than 1,000 days in detention awaiting trial.

“There is a need for us to address the clogged-up criminal justice system. We are flushing the system and not pulling the clog out, and we’re expecting it to clear up,” Whitely said.

Jones has requested $280,000 to hire additional assistant district attorneys and expedite prosecutions. Whitely lobbied for granting the request “to get the ball rolling.” He pitched the idea of funding a study to find the best course of action.

“We don’t know what (a study) would cost. I’d have to go back and get the cost. It would be several hundred thousand dollars. And it would be process that would take more than a year,” County Manager Lee Smith said in response.

Stone suggest an alternative: Bring in leadership from the local justice system — the courts, the jail, police chiefs — and discuss the best way to allocate funds to solve the problem in a comprehensive way.

District 4 Commissioner Patrick Farrell was receptive to the idea, and said the meeting would help the county “see if there’s any low-hanging fruit, then come back to the commission and take some action.”

“There’s probably some common ground that different players in the judicial system have. It may come to (a study) in some time, but time is of the essence,” Farrell said. “We’re burning through money like it’s no problem on the jail complex.”

That solution seemed to win the approval of the other commissioners, though no formal vote was taken.

The commission will meet again Friday, June 25 to vote on the finalized budget.

Will Peebles is the enterprise reporter for Savannah Morning News. He can be reached at wpeebles@gannett.com and @willpeeblessmn on Twitter.

This article originally appeared on Savannah Morning News: Chatham Commission considers criminal justice leadership meeting to discuss budget allocation