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February 9, 2010

Commissioners want no free lunch for jail employees

By Philip Jankowski Stillwater NewsPress

STILLWATER, Okla. — Payne County Commissioners submitted a letter to the Payne County Sheriff’s Office calling the practice of providing a free meal to county jailers a waste of taxpayers' money.

The letter was the result of an annual jail tour commissioners took Jan. 28. The letter was sent Feb. 1. The letter is also critical of the jail’s cleanliness and brings up a security issue.

During the tour, commissioners saw jail employees eating food from the jail’s kitchen.

“We the Board do not think this is fair considering other County Employees have to either bring a lunch or go get something on their provided lunch hour. In addition this practice is a serious misuse of the tax payer’s money,” the letter states.

The letter is signed by all three Payne County commissioners.

Sheriff R. B. Hauf submitted a report in response to the commissioners' concerns Monday.

In the report he cites an Oklahoma state statute, which allows a sheriff or jail administrator the ability to provide free meals to jailers.

Hauf said it has been common practice to provide Payne County jailers meals at least since he first became a jail employee in 1989, and that jailers are not allotted a lunch hour.

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