Vadney won't rule out revisiting request for jail funds

By ROGER AMSDEN, LACONIA DAILY SUN

LACONIA — There is still a chance the County Delegation will revisit a request for a supplemental appropriation from the Belknap County Commission to fund the new jail and Sheriff's Department, said Belknap County Delegation Chairman Herb Vadney (R-Meredith).

Vadney said the delegation's Executive Committee may be discussing the request when it meets for a quarterly budget review on Monday, July 10, at 9:30 a.m. at the Belknap County complex.

“We'll have a better idea of where things stand with the budget and what funds are available,” said Vadney, who did not respond to requests from Belknap County Commissioners to expand the agenda for Tuesday night's meeting of the delegation so that it could take up the supplemental appropriation again.

The $229,500 supplemental appropriation request lost on a 7-7 tie vote on May 22 after Vadney denied an attempt to by Rep. Ray Howard (R-Alton), vice chairman of the delegation, to abstain from voting. Howard then voted against the request, creating the tie.

The supplemental appropriation request included $136,500 for the Corrections Department and $93,000 for the Sheriff’s Department. The proposal called for hiring three corrections officers on July 1 and another on Sept. 1.

Commissioners have put off making a decision on the hiring of four correctional officers that Belknap County Corrections Superintendent Keith Gray deemed essential to opening the new Community Corrections Center.

Gray has said that without the additional officers he will not recommend opening the new 18,100-square-foot Community Corrections Center due to concerns for both the safety of the officers and the inmates.

Commission Chairman Dave DeVoy (R-Sanbornton) said, “I hope they do something, but I don't expect that they will.”

He said that delegation members who opposed the supplemental appropriation request seem to think there's money elsewhere in the county budget that could be used to hire the officers.

“We've looked at everything. The money's just not there.” said DeVoy.