Commissioners debate expanding use of inmate work crews amid safety and reimbursement concerns

The sheriff's road crew (inmate workers supervised by a deputy) was described as a long-running program used by townships and events for tasks such as mowing, picnic-table repair and road cleanup. Captain Kane explained typical assignments and daily-rate examples: Delta Township pays roughly $300 for a full day and $150 for a partial day.

Several commissioners urged prioritizing county needs before loaning crews out to townships and discussed using the crew at the animal control facility. Administration and the sheriff's office said safety and supervision are the limiting factors: inmate workers must be supervised at all times and not all settings are appropriate. "They have to be supervised at all times," a commissioner said; administration noted that putting the work crew inside animal control would require paying for corrections officer coverage that might be more cost-effectively resolved by hiring a permanent animal-control staffer.