BY ROGER SMITH
MOUNTAIN CITIZEN

PAINTSVILLE — Member counties will pay $5 more per day to house inmates at the Big Sandy Regional Detention Center after the jail’s governing board voted Friday to raise the daily rate to $36.34.

The increase came during a special meeting called less than three weeks after auditor Darrell Blair presented a bleak financial report showing the facility running deep in the red. Blair’s audit, presented Oct. 23, detailed revenues of $2,951,498 against expenditures of $3,615,686 for the 2025 fiscal year and revealed an annual payroll topping $2 million.

In response, the board instructed bookkeeper Pam Burgess to prepare a projection of potential housing revenues at various rates. She delivered those figures Friday, warning that the jail was continuing to operate in the red.

“We’re operating at a $20,000 deficit,” Burgess told the board.

Board member Steve Rose asked whether it would take a $10 increase “just to hold us, not putting any in the bank.”

“That would just help us to stabilize,” Burgess confirmed, adding that payroll has been running between $62,000 and $68,000 every two weeks.

Rose proposed that the board raise the rate by $10 for three months, through January, and revisit the matter afterward. That proposal failed

Those voting no were Bradford Preece, Josh Puckett, Tony Allen, Billy Patrick, Roger Gordon and Brian Montgomery. Voting yes were Rose, Ralph Slone, Billy Caudill and David Williams.

A subsequent motion to raise the rate by $8.50 met the same fate.

Rose then called for a $5 increase. Board members countered with a motion to raise the rate to $35.34 to match the state rate, which also failed.

The final motion — to raise the rate by $5 to $36.34 — passed 9-1.

Voting yes were Puckett, Rose, Preece, Allen, Slone, Caudill, Gordon, Montgomery and David Williams.

Voting no: Patrick.

The rate went into effect Saturday for Martin, Johnson, Lawrence and Magoffin counties.