Tulsa's Mayor Concerned About Tulsa County Jail Spending

Tulsa County jail's budget problems continue to be the center of controversy.  Wednesday morning, Tulsa County's Criminal Justice Authority board met to discuss what can be done to save taxpayers money.

Board members say anywhere from $2- to 3-million each year is coming out of the county budget to help pay for costs at the jail.  They want the jail to run more efficiently, whether it's the sheriff's office operating it or possibly the private sector.  

Acting Tulsa County Sheriff Michelle Robinette and the chief financial officer for the sheriff's office addressed the concerns of the board members at the meeting.

1/19/2016 Related Story: New Acting Tulsa County Sheriff Speaks On Jail Budget Crisis

The Criminal Justice Authority board is made up of a number of mayors from cities within Tulsa County and county commissioners. One of the major concerns was $300,000 being taken from the jail fund to pay salaries.

The sheriff's office says they discovered the problem and are working to get the money back into the jail fund.

Board members questioned how this mistake happened. 

"We must see good management practices initiated, so it doesn't happen again and the tax payer dollars aren't misspent .  $300,000 isn't a small amount of money to sniff at," said Tulsa Mayor Dewey Bartlett.

There were also a number of other issues, including looking at the possibility of the private sector running the Tulsa County jail.

Coming up 5 p.m. hear why the Tulsa County Sheriff's Office doesn't think that's a good idea.