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Panel questions state prison's use of salary savings Friday, Jan 13, 2006 By Rob Moritz Arkansas News Bureau LITTLE ROCK - A legislative committee Thursday questioned the state Department of Correction's use of $8 million in salary savings from open positions for other needs within the prison system. Prison officials went before lawmakers seeking permission to take the money from the agency's regular salaries account. Prison Director Larry Norris said about $5.5 million of the money would be placed in the system's medical assistance account. Another $1 million would be used to purchase and install a high-voltage electric fence around the East Arkansas Regional Unit at Brickeys, $1 million would be for new treatment buildings at the Varner and Varner Supermax Units, and $500,000 would help replace kitchen and laundry equipment at various units. Norris and Sheila Sharp, deputy prison director, said $5.5 million should get the department through the end of the fiscal year. They said the department has had higher-than-expected medical costs this year, and is having to care for an older prison population. He said the department in years past has used money from salary savings to help with unexpected medical costs, including $4.5 million in 2005-2006 and $2.4 million in 2003-2004. House Speaker Bill Stovall, D-Quitman, questioned amount of money the department has accrued by leaving some positions unfilled, and asked whether the Legislature was budgeting too many positions in the first place. Norris said his department has about 4,000 employees and a 35 percent turnover rate among corrections officers. He said he likes to keep number of vacant jobs under 200. However, he said the number of vacant jobs is now well above 300. "I am troubled that we can continue to budget that many positions and create an opportunity to have (that much money) transferred," Stovall said. "We may have too many positions out there at one time." Norris said there were not too many positions and said his department is "fighting every day and every week to keep the positions filled." He said the turnover rate was 50 percent a few years ago and the department is continuing to work hard to attract qualified employees to a job that includes difficult conditions and low pay. "We have not one too many positions," Norris said. "To say we have too many positions, ... I'd be remiss if I let you get away from here thinking that." Sen. Jim Luker, D-Wynne, asked how much longer the department would continue to rely on salary savings for medical costs. "I don't know," Norris replied. "We know we have to provide reasonable ... medical care and we have to pay for it." Norris told lawmakers his department would like to see the retirement plan for correctional officers changed next year to allow employees to retire earlier. He also said he hopes lawmakers can find money in the budget for pay raises. Rep. Horace Hardwick, R-Bentonville, asked Norris if he would consider privatization. Norris said he did not want to consider privatization because it has not worked in the state in the past. Two prison units in Newport, the Grimes Unit and McPherson Unit, were managed by the Wackenhut Corrections Corp. of Coral Gables for several years, but management problems forced the state to retake control, the prison director said. "We've tried it and it did not work," Norris said. "In my opinion, they can't do it better for less." |
