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Commissioners to hear jail and justice report [Odessa American, Texas :: ]
[April 27, 2014]

Commissioners to hear jail and justice report [Odessa American, Texas :: ]


(Odessa American (TX) Via Acquire Media NewsEdge) April 27--During their regular meeting Monday, commissioners will be receiving a report from Ector County Judge Susan Redford about a jail and justice consultant.

The consultant was hired on Sept. 23 and contracted for up to $95,000 to study the jail and justice system and find out where the hitches were in the system causing lengthy paperwork times, leaving inmates in the county jail for a longer period of time as they awaited transport to prison.



Wayne Gondeck, of San Antonio-based DRG Architects, interviewed county officials and elected officials during the process, but presented a report to a group of the officials on April 16 that not only didn't identify the specific bottleneck in the system, but merely reviewed a set of facts previously known to the county.

Redford was disappointed with the report, and said she didn't believe the county even received a product worth the $47,461.22 that Gondeck has already been paid. Redford said she was withholding the rest of the money until a more complete project was presented.


Gondeck, however, said he was under the impression that he was not supposed to step on any toes or place blame on any one department, which was the reason for his vague report and unfinished solutions.

He said after the April 16 meeting that it was the Ector County District Clerk's Office holding up much of the paperwork, with pen packs sitting on their desks for long periods of time without moving.

District Clerk Janis Morgan declined to comment on Gondeck's statement.

Commissioners also will: --Approve and present a resolution to the Airport Association and Schlemeyer Field recognizing May 3 as "Wings and Wheels Day." --Consider the request that funds received from rebates on county purchases be transferred to the employee enrichment fund for upcoming projects.

--Consider appointing Conrad Aguirre to serve on the Ector County Historical Commission.

--Consider the application for accreditation for the Ector County Library to the State Library System.

--Consider a request for authorization to maintain and continue using the Gardendale Arena from the Ector 4-H Club.

--Consider the surplus and sale by auction of assets and other items.

--Consider the proposed specifications to specific insurance items.

--Consider an extension of audit services with Johnson Miller CPAs for an additional four years.

--Consider the subscription plan amendment with LexisNexis.

--Consider the renewal of the food services agreements with ABL Management Inc. for the Ector County Elderly Nutrition Program and the detention center.

--Consider an amendment to the master services agreement with Securus Technologies for inmate telephone service.

--Consider the termite retreatment agreement with Orkin for the Ector County Library.

--Consider any action regarding the transition of the county's Odyssey system to software as a service.

--Consider the need for overtime for Information Technology in lieu of comp time due to staffing shortage in order to support specific high-priority projects.

--Consider a request from the city of Odessa to acquire the county's interest in .619 acres of land along the alley at 40th Street and Pleasant Street and retain property for public use.

--Consider the approval of Haley subdivision in Crane and Ector counties.

--Consider abandoning any remaining alley in block 1 of Odessa Industrial Park and block 15 in Airway Acres.

--Consider a $5,100 line-item transfer to airport building materials from unreserved fund balance.

--Consider the request from SunTrust Robinson Humphrey Inc. as a broker/dealer for county investments.

--Consider the request from First Empire Securities as a broker/dealer for county investments.

--Receive the Ector County investment report for the quarter ending March 31.

--Consider the accounts payable fund requirements report for April 28, and review county financial statements and reports.

​Contact Jon Vanderlaan on twitter at @OAcourts, on Facebook at OA Jon Vanderlaan or call 432-333-7763.

___ (c)2014 the Odessa American (Odessa, Texas) Visit the Odessa American (Odessa, Texas) at www.oaoa.com Distributed by MCT Information Services

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