By KEN WYATT
Contributing Writer
JacksonCounty Commissioner Earl Poleski had two items for his monthly report on county news of interest to the townships in his area.
There has been some improvement in the percentage of citizens showing up for jury duty. Poleski said in the past year about 2,000 citizens were summoned for jury duty; of those, 500 did not show up. That’s about 25 percent. In past years, the percentage of no-shows has been as high as 30 to 40 percent. The no-shows are subject to costly fines. In fact, the county has realized about $15,000 from fines.
Tax revenues have been better than expected for the county. So the decision has been made to add $3 million to the building improvement fund. Of that, $1 million will go to upkeep and maintenance of the county’s 70-year-old jail.
Poleski said the funds are not meant for a replacement of the old jail. Taxpayers have rebuffed repeated millage requests for that purpose.
These funds would merely go to the expense of continuing to operate the jail, which is essential. Normally, the county seeks to maintain a surplus of 18 to 24 percent of the general fund. This shift from the surplus will leave the county with about a 22 percent cushion.
