Officials in Berkeley and Jefferson Counties received $256,312 in state grant money for the new day reporting center that could be used to reduce crowding at Eastern Regional Jail and help alleviate financial pressure put on the counties by the jail bill.  Berkeley County Commissioner Bill Stubblefield says the program received $193,812 for the community correction program and another $62,500 for transportation associated with the program.  Jefferson and Berkeley Counties must match 10% of the grant money between them, which will amount to about $13,000 each.Stubblefield will meet with a county commissioner from Jefferson County, along with legal council and probation officers from judiciary, next week to begin establishing a board of directors that will oversee the center.  Once the board has been established they will hire an executive director who is common to both Berkeley and Jefferson County. Finally, two separate day reporting centers will be established, one for each county.  Stubblefield expects the entire program to be up and running within the next three months. There is a possibility that Morgan County may also become a part of the program.  Stubblefield says they had envisioned Morgan County becoming a partner, but as it stands the grant is strictly for Berkeley and Jefferson County.  There will be several opportunities to have at large members of the board of directors, and Stubblefield says one of those will be from Morgan County.An empty building on Raleigh Street is being looked at as a potential site for the center in Berkeley County.  Commission president Steve Teufel, who first recommended using the building, feels the location of the building makes it an excellent choice and will save the county money by not requiring new construction.

Categories: Local News
Tags: Berkeley County, crime, Department of Corrections, Jail, Jefferson County, Stubblefield