County leaders are planning how they will use the funds that could generate about $5 million a year. Some of those funds will put 18 more patrol deputies behind the wheel of a patrol car. More than 14,000 people voted to pay the 1/8-cent sales tax to improve Greene County's criminal justice system. “We were very happy,” Chief Assistant Prosecutor Todd Myers said. The tax will fund 10 new positions for the prosecutor's office including 5 new assistant prosecutors who will dive into a backlog of 600 cases. The cases in the backlog are considered low level offenses. “If it's my car that's broken into or my property being vandalized it’s not a minor thing to me,” Myers said about victims waiting for their case to go to court. “We want to be able to get them some justice as quickly as we can.”
The tax funds will also add six new detectives along with the additional patrol deputies in an effort to improve response times. People in danger often wait 13 minutes for help due to current staffing issues. “Of course I was gratified with the outcome but amazed with the overwhelming support,” Greene County Commissioner Harold Bengsch said. County leaders are planning to hire the employees and remodel the jail to add 50-75 minimum security beds. “It is a release from some anxieties that we were going through,” Bengsch said. “Especially when we were approaching 600 inmates in jail and having to house those in other counties and it was costing us $45 a day. We were really eating up county funds in a hurry.”
The tax will also add 40 correctional officers to the Greene County Jail. Currently one correctional officer watches over 100 inmates. There will also be additional juvenile officers added.
The tax funds will not be available until the end of this year or the beginning of next year however departments are preparing their budgets including the new employees. Commissioners will have to approve those budgets.
Supporters of the tax told voters it would include:
Sheriff’s Office
-18 patrol deputies
-6 detectives
-40 correctional officers
-1 registered nurse for the jail
-10 support staff
-2 court security officers
Prosecutor’s Office
-5 assistant prosecutors
-1 paralegal/investigator
-2 victim witness advocates
-2 support staff
Juvenile Office
-7 deputy juvenile officers
-2 probation officers
-1 attorney
-3 support staff
Pre-Trial Services
-2 pre-trial officers
Building Space:
-Remodel jail to add 50-75 minimum security beds
-Improve juvenile courtroom to meet new security requirements
-Add office space to relieve overcrowding and privacy concerns of juvenile office
