By Tom Davis
Correspondent
DAYTON, Tenn. – The Rhea County Commission’s jail committee will meet today Monday to begin formulating a plan to deal with overcrowding that threatens the jail’s state certification.
Commission Chairman Ronnie Raper appointed commissioners Tracy Taylor, Bill Hollin and Jim Reed to serve on the committee with District Attorney General Mike Taylor, Sheriff Mike Neal, Sessions Court Judge Jim McKenzie and a representative of the circuit court judges.
Raper and County Executive George Thacker also will serve.
Commissioners were notified during their workshop session a week ago that they have until Nov. 1 to respond to a recent state inspection which found the jail continually exceeds its 87-bed limit. According to that report, in only two months in the past year were fewer than 100 inmates incarcerated.
Raper reminded the commission that “I assured the Department of Corrections that we will have (the report) to them by Nov. 1.”
He also appointed a committee of commissioners Grover Parks, Ron Masterson and Tom Smith to recommend a solution to a series of recurring personnel questions.
Tom Davis is based in Dayton. Contact him at tsdavis@volstate.net