Henderson County jailer, judge disagree over detention center garden plot

HENDERSON - Land for sale near the Henderson County Detention Center has generated weeks of discussion among county officials.

Henderson County Jailer Amy Brady said before the land was posted for sale, the lots -- which cover approximately four acres -- were rented by the jail and used as part of a massive vegetable garden tended by inmates.

Brady said the garden provides vocational skill opportunities for inmates and helps supply the detention center with food which keeps the cost of meals down. Any surplus vegetables are given to local nonprofit agencies such as the Salvation Army's soup kitchen.

During some of the discussions which have occurred at Henderson County Fiscal Court meetings, Brady has indicated she would like to purchase the land to restore that part of the garden (they are currently growing a smaller garden on jail property) and also provide for any future building expansion needs of the detention center.

Both lots are selling for $215,000. The smaller lot is $55,000, according to information provided by Brady.

However, Henderson County Judge-executive Brad Schneider says the priority should be to pay off the jail's $4.5 million debt recently incurred by a kitchen expansion and other needed renovations.

"We've talked about escrowing a certain amount of (the jail's) reserve to take two of the youngest of her bonds off the books," he said. "It would clear up that debt and be off our books altogether. It would also restore some of the money she'd have to pay for debt service back into her budget, which would certainly benefit her."

Schneider said there may be other land options other than the two lots adjacent to the jail.

"We'd be paying ($200,000) for garden ground when the priciest farm land in the county goes for $10,000 an acre. And we'd be paying much more than that for what would basically be a vegetable garden," he said during a recent Henderson Fiscal Court meeting.

"It's not just garden ground," Brady said. "It's part of the vocational skills that they're pushing for inmates to have when they are released."

Since the garden is part of the vocational skills being offered to inmates, the money for the lots can come from the commissary fund, Brady said.

"So no taxpayer money would be used," said Magistrate Carter Wilkerson. "No," Brady said.

"The reason our food cost is as low as it is, is because of the garden," Brady said. "The vegetables come in all season. We just used the last of what was in the freezer from this past gardening season and the freezer was totally full. So the garden produce has fed inmates for an entire year."

Schneider said if either of the lots are purchased, it should be the smaller one.

"(Purchasing) the one that's right across from (the jail beside the ambulance station) would make sense and it potentially could be used for a new facility sometime down the road. And also it would allow her garden (space). In my opinion, I don't think that purchasing the land near Green Street is necessary. That's a lot of money."

Magistrate Butch Puttman said he would hope that the jail could continue to produce vegetables for non-profit agencies.

"The service you provide to the community with the excess produce for the non-profits, that's a pretty big deal," he said. "That's just in my opinion. I think what you do there is amazing. I don't have a problem with that and you can distribute it to those who need it. We are providing a service to the county."

In a later interview with The Gleaner, Brady said without the land purchase, the facility can't structurally expand for possible future needs.

"We are land locked at this time. The city purchased the land behind the jail a few years ago so any programs or the future of expansion would be an issue," she said.

As for more basic issues, she said, "We currently serve in excess of 850,000 meals per year to our inmates. That doesn’t include the lunches for juveniles or others transported to the judicial center for court. We normally provide lunches at no charge to the county. Losing (several) acres of garden would significantly raise our food cost per inmate since it greatly reduces the yearly harvest. It would also lower our inmate workforce, thus costing the county money for inmates not earning state pay and not gaining work credit toward their sentence. We would be housing inmates for a longer period of time."

Kentucky law permits commissary funds paid in by inmates and their families to be used for things that benefit inmates, which Brady said, the garden does.

Schneider said the focus should be on paying off the jail's debt, but added that there is a feasible compromise.

“I just want to consider this proposal ($215,000 for two parcels of land on Borax Drive) with an abundance of caution, considering the county is still not completely out of the woods financially," Schneider told The Gleaner in a later interview.

"Our jail has been mostly or completely self-supporting in recent years, but the expansion needed to help the jail generate enough revenue to support itself has resulted in a significant load of debt. Right now the county owes $4.95 million spread over three bonds related to the jail, including the most recent expansion of the kitchen. Thankfully, the jail has created enough revenue that it has been able to make the annual installment payments on those bonds, which amount to almost $840,000. The jail has also used its revenue to create a sizeable cash reserve. At any given time it has anywhere from $4.5 to $5.5 million in its accounts."

"Perhaps we could purchase the cheaper of the two parcels (using the profits from inmates’ commissary accounts, which are not a part of the regular jail budget), while at the same time establishing escrow accounts for the jail’s two youngest bonds," Schneider said. "By doing so we could wipe almost $4 million in debt off the county’s books, free up a considerable amount of money in the jail’s budget that is now being used for annual debt payments, and also give (Jailer Brady) some new ground she says she needs," he said.

"It’s a logical compromise that benefits both the jail and the county. I made the proposal to (Jailer Brady) a couple weeks ago and have yet to get a 'yes' or 'no' reply," Schneider said. "I’m sure the discussion will continue."