Marion County jail struggles with COVID-19, budget issues and flooding

MARION — Dealing with the ongoing coronavirus pandemic and budget issues continues to be a juggling act for local officials in charge of the jail shared by Marion and Hardin counties.

Multi-County Correctional Center (MCCC) Director Dale Osborn said while no inmates at the jail have tested positive for the COVID-19 virus since March, two staff members have tested positive "within the last three weeks."

However, Osborn said he was notified Wednesday by the Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Correction (ODRC) that three of eight inmates who were transferred from MCCC to the Correctional Reception Center at Orient on Oct. 9 have tested positive for COVID-19.

"They were all asymptomatic, so there was really nothing we could've identified here (at MCCC)," Osborn said. "We're thinking, though we've not confirmed it yet, there are probably some more inmates here that have the virus. I've spoken with Marion Public Health and we're already doing and taking precautions that the advised us to take, like wearing masks and doing extensive cleaning and sanitizing."

Following the Oct. 8 announcement by the Ohio Department of Health that Marion County was at Level 3 (red) on the Ohio Public Health Advisory System, Osborn said he ordered that all inmates be given face masks to wear.

"We're doing what we can do, but jails and prisons are very difficult, almost impossible, to maintain any type of social distancing," he said. "We've got two full-time nurses that work here and we're monitoring the situation on a regular basis."

Inmates who display symptoms are tested by an OhioHealth physician whom the jail contracts with for medical services. Staff members can go to their own physicians if they require testing.

Jail population fluctuates during pandemic

In an effort to help combat spread of the coronavirus, Marion County Sheriff Tim Bailey and Hardin County Sheriff Keith Everhart both stated that from March through the end of May their deputies were instructed to issue citations for misdemeanor crimes instead of making arrests. Police departments in the two counties followed suit.

Osborn said the temporary policy change resulted in a decrease in the jail population as well as the in the number of inmates housed outside the county.

An average of 206 inmates per day have been housed at MCCC during October, which has a capacity for 222 inmates, Osborn said. He noted that there are 175 beds for male inmates and 47 beds for female inmates. Marion County has access to about 80% of the beds and Hardin County is allotted the other 20%.

As of Friday, 200 inmates were housed at MCCC with another 20 inmates being house at jails outside of Marion County.

"The majority of people we have outside of our facility right now are females," Osborn said, noting there has been an uptick in the number of female inmates. "Our general problem is that our female inmate population is now exceeding (the capacity of) our female housing area. Recently, within the last two months, we've seen more female inmates coming in here for more serious violations has definitely increased. The male inmate population has remained fairly steady, but not quite at capacity."

Osborn said the inmate population began to increase again in the summer as law enforcement in Marion and Hardin counties started to make more arrests following spikes in coronavirus cases in April and May. The daily average count in March was 190, but it fell to 145 in April and increased slightly in May to 155. The low figures for April and May coincided with spikes in the number of COVID-19 cases in each of those months.

After local law enforcement agencies began reverting back to normal policies and procedures, the daily average for June ballooned to 192 and by September the average count has reached 216, Osborn said.

Pre-pandemic, Osborn said, as many as 80 inmates at any one time were being housed outside of the county. In recent weeks, the figure has fluctuated between 20 and 25, Osborn said.

To date, Marion County has spent $263,867.59 on fees for housing inmates at facilities outside the county this year. Housing fees range from $55 to $65 per day, Osborn said.

In 2019, Marion County spent $347,035 on fees charged for incarcerating inmates in other counties. Commissioners appropriated $500,000 in the 2020 budget for out-of-county inmate housing.

Alternative center closed temporarily

The emergence of the coronavirus pandemic in Marion County led to a delay in the opening of the Marion County Jail Alternative Center, Osborn said. Originally scheduled to open in March, he decided to delay its opening until August.

The alternative center, located at 269 Rose Avenue in Marion, was designed to help alleviate at least a small portion of the overcrowding problem at MCCC, Osborn said. It is equipped to accommodate 30 inmates, or residents as Osborn termed them. County Commissioners earmarked $750,376 in the 2020 budget for the center.

Osborn said the facility was operating well until the evening of Sept. 7 when about five inches of rain fell, flooding numerous locations in the county, including the Rose Avenue neighborhood where the center is located.

He said the flooding forced the evacuation of the 17 residents who were housed there at the time. About four feet of water had settled in the basement by the time the rain ended.

Osborn said seven male inmates were relocated to MCCC, two female inmates were transferred to the Morrow County Jail, and the remaining eight female inmates were temporarily released with permission from Marion Municipal Court Judge Teresa Ballinger.

"The (eight females who were released) got their time to report back to jail rescheduled by Judge Ballinger," Osborn said.

Beartrax LLC, owner of the Rose Avenue facility, has cleaned up the building and addressed the flooding issue by sealing off a side door that was below grade and allowed in "a great deal of water," Osborn said.

"Renovations started immediately after the flood," Osborn said. "They're expected to be completed within two weeks. ... They're making some changes to the plumbing around the facility by installing check valves. They basically shut down when the storm sewers become charged and won't back up into our sump pumps. I feel very comfortable with the things the landlord has done to prevent flooding in the future."

The 5-year lease between the county commissioners and Beartrax LLC will cost the county $66,000 in 2020, 2021, and 2022, then increase to $72,000 in 2023 and 2024.

No plans for another jail levy

During the primary election in April, Marion County voters overwhelmingly rejected the proposed 2-mill, 5-year levy, which would have generated close to $2.5 million per year and helped pay for the construction of an addition on to the Multi-County Correctional Center. About 70% of voters were opposed to the levy.

County Commission President Ken Stiverson said the commission has no plans at this time to place a jail levy on the ballot in the new year.

"We've got the alternative center and we're hoping that relieves some of the pressure," Stiverson said. "We haven't had any more discussions about putting a levy on or anything like that."

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Marion County Commissioners are concerned about the overall county budget as 2021 draws ever closer. The commissioners said they expect the county to experience a 12% loss in revenue due to the effects of the coronavirus pandemic on economy.

eacarter@marionstar.com

@AndrewACCarter