Jones County Jail up to full staff

   A new full-time jail officer, Andrea Lorenzen, was approved by the Jones County Supervisors on Dec. 6. Lorenzen's hiring was effective Dec. 12. Her starting wage is $19.19 an hour.

   Jail Administrator Sarah Tate was present to answer questions the board had. She informed the board that another new jailer would need to be approved in the next week or two.

   "I'm striving to maintain 10 (employees)," Tate said.

   The next hire would meet that goal.

   "We're gearing toward employees who are invested in the community for the long-term," she added, "versus just filling a position."

   Tate said she is also working on a training program.

   "It's a lot of reactive training," she said. "We model the experience and run through it x-amount of times.

   "There is such a broad range of things we do," she added. "I want to focus on the things we don't necessarily do every day, and apply ideas to different situations and work through it."

   New employees are on probation for their first six months of employment. Every three months, Tate said she'd like to have them rotate around each shift so they're comfortable working those hours.

   Tate admitted working in the Jones County Jail can be a challenge.

   "Obviously I enjoy my job, but it is a challenge," she said. "There is something new and different every day. I've been here for a little over a year and I still come across something new."

   Tate has been employed by the county since 2019, working in the Civil Department before she was hired as jail administrator.

   "I appreciate the people I work with in the Sheriff's Office," she said. "We have an amazing team and good support when we need it.

   "I have the trust and freedom that I can do what I need to do," she added.

   Tate took on her leadership role without prior experience. She said that didn't mean she wasn't qualified for the job. Having to hire jail officers, she feels she provides a unique perspective for officers who also had no prior experience.

   "It helps with new employees," she said. "If I bring people in with good qualities, we can train them."

In other county business:

   • The board appointed Russ Benke, the new Midland Ambulance director, as a representative on the EMS Advisory Council.

   • The board approved a resolution to revise the Secondary Road Five-Year Construction Program.

   County Engineer Derek Snead explained that the County Road X-64 overlay project will be split into two separate projects. It was previously listed on the program for FY2024 at a total cost of $2.5 million. The revision will include the construction of a box culvert, flattening the driveways, and access slopes. The project will be moved into FY23 at a cost of $750,000.

   "We decided to do it this way in the interest of cost savings," Snead said. "We'll have two separate prime contractors (for each phase of the project). That means less coordination of sub-contractors."

   Snead said local funds will be used on the first phase of the project.

   "We hope to let it in February or March. There will be 50 working days, with a late start date around August, with the option to start prior to that."