Credit card problem discussed

CHARLESTON - Road trips will be cash-only ventures for Mississippi County Detention Center staff from now on.

"We have a credit card problem," Presiding Commissioner Jim Blumenberg said during Thursday's regular County Commission meeting.

The latest statement for the credit card used by jail staff during the transportation of prisoners included $32 in finance charges indicating a balance of nearly $2,000 has been carried.

"I don't like it and it's not going to happen after today," Blumenberg said. "There will no longer be a credit card in the jail."

Blumenberg said in addition to letting a balance accumulate, jail staff have not been turning in receipts.

"There's some abuse," Blumenberg speculated. Without receipts being turned in, county officials have no documentation for what the card was used for. "It could be food, it could be liquor - it could be anything," he said. County Clerk Junior DeLay said the only other credit card the county has is shared by courthouse officials for "primarily just online stuff."

"The jail will not have one," Blumenberg said. "It won't be here after today."

Commissioners agreed to set up and maintain a cash transportation account of $1,000. "We'll start with $1,000 and we'll always have $1,000 in cash or tickets," Blumenberg said. Commissioners also agreed to pay the credit card's outstanding balance of about $1,600 in full and "get it out of our name."

From now on when jail staff travel to drop off or pick up prisoners they will draw from the new fund enough cash to pay for expected expenses plus some for emergencies.

Following each trip, jail staff will then return all receipts and unused cash to the county clerk's office.

The county clerk's office will issue one check per month to bring the account back up to $1,000.

Commissioners asked for DeLay's opinion of the new policy. "That's the way it should be done," DeLay affirmed. DeLay said jail staff will be "turning in a settlement with every trip."

Blumenberg said if jail staff can't keep up with receipts, they may have ended up losing the credit card eventually.

Additionally, the county recently missed out on about $5,000 in boarding fees from the Immigration and Naturalization Service because staff did not have enough additional fuel to pick them up, Blumenberg said.