Beyond the headlines of the current controversy surrounding theLincoln County Jail lies the potential for residents to feel somepain in the pocketbook at tax time.

Corrections officials have ordered all state inmates removedfrom the county jail due to allegations of improper temporaryrelease passes being issued to inmates. And apparently, the jail’sauthority to house any state inmates at all will expire Aug.12.

Along with the inmates’ departure is the removal ofreimbursement revenue the state has paid Lincoln County to housethem. Exactly how much revenue would be lost and the loss’ impacton the county is a somewhat unknown quantity and a matter for somedebate.

Mississippi Department of Correction Commissioner Chris Eppscites a potential for lost revenue of over $300,000 to the county.In reality, county records show the state reimbursing the county$121,000 in fiscal year 2005 because of less than full state inmatecapacity during the year.

But even the lower figure represents over 20 percent of thejail’s budget.

Sheriff Wiley Calcote maintains the jail’s budget this year isin good shape and that inmate-run services like the jail kitchenwill continue. He has not said how that will be accomplished.

Yes, the jail budget may be fine now. However, a new yearchallenge of operating with at least a 20 percent reduction inrevenue does not begin until Oct. 1.

That is where county taxpayers could come in.

Whatever the net effect of inmate expense savings versus staterevenue reductions, the jail will have operational costs that mustbe covered – while also maintaining housing and other jail-relatedstandards. Paying staff, which cannot be reduced; utilities andother expenses with 20 percent less funding could be very difficultfor jail and county officials.

County officials rightly point out the jail simply cannot beshut down. But to cover jail costs, county funding for otherservices elsewhere may have to be reduced or property taxesraised.

The situation involving jail operations will be anotherdifficult issue county officials and supervisors will have totackle as they prepare the budget for new fiscal year that startsin October.

With their decision to hire two employees who will spend part oftheir time cleaning ditches, the City of Brookhaven appears to havealready made a decision that will have a small impact on the city’sbudget. Since inmates previously were used to clean ditches, thecity board’s action and the resulting higher costs look like adirect result of their removal.

If work crews cannot be continued, county officials and localcivic organizations that benefitted from assistance provided bystate inmate labor will have to find other means of getting thework done. That includes community appearance assistance, pavingcrew manpower, courthouse maintenance and other tasks that inmatescould handle.

Epps did not put a price tag on the value of those services -but no doubt there is one.

Housing state inmates here has meant money for the county andfree labor for it and the city.

Whatever the reason for the jail’s current troubles, not havingstate inmates will present some challenges for local officials.Wanting to have state inmates housed locally instead of at Parchmanmay sound strange.

But if taxes have to go up to make up for lost revenue due tolost inmates, there will be little mystery as to why.