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Union leader says governor was caught off guard on prison
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Gov. Brian Sandoval originally proposed closing the 144-year-old Nevada State Prison on Oct. 1, but legislators delayed the closure until April 1 so staff could have a better chance of finding jobs.
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REVIEW-JOURNAL CAPITAL BUREAU
Updated: Dec. 7, 2011 | 8:04 a.m.
CARSON CITY -- Gov. Brian Sandoval should have stopped the Department of Corrections from running up a $2.5 million deficit and moving to close the Nevada State Prison three months ahead of a legislative requirement, a union leader said Tuesday.
Vishnu Subramaniam, chief of staff for the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees Local 4041, said it is apparent that Sandoval was caught off guard until a Monday meeting where it was reported that the Corrections Department incurred $2.5 million in unbudgeted overtime in the July-through-September quarter.
He also said Sandoval had no idea that Corrections Director Greg Cox was moving to close the 144-year-old prison on Jan. 9 despite a legislative directive to close it April 1.
"I would like to know why the governor didn't pay more attention to this," he said. "How could he not know the Nevada State Prison was closing three months ahead of time? How could he not know they were running up the overtime? Cox is his administrator. I wonder why there is no communication between the governor and his administrator."
But Dale Erquiaga, Sandoval's policy director, said Tuesday that the governor was aware in advance of the overtime problem and Cox's rationale for closing the prison earlier than scheduled.
The governor asked questions of the prison director at Monday's Board of Prison Commissioners meeting to help develop a record, help the other commissioners better understand the need for the early prison closure and create transparency, Erquiaga said.
"It's hard to see how he can be faulted for that," he said about the governor, who chairs the commission.
By closing the prison early, Sandoval wants to save "as much money as possible" and reduce additional overtime costs, Erquiaga added.
The Legislature did not provide enough funding to keep the prison open until April 1, so it should be no surprise to the employee unions that there were overtime costs, Erquiaga said.
Until the meeting, the governor did not know the exact amount of overtime, so he asked a lot of questions on that cost, he said.
From comments made by Secretary of State Ross Miller, Attorney General Catherine Cortez Masto and Sandoval at the prison commissioners meeting, it seemed none of them knew previously of the overtime and Cox's new prison closure plan.
Cox said he developed the new plan two weeks ago as a way to avoid more overtime.
The commissioners made no move Monday to stop the Jan. 9 closure.
Miller complained about not being notified earlier of the new closure plan. He said that he wanted to defer to Cox on prison management matters, but that the Jan. 9 closure was far different than the plans commissioners had been given in the past.
"Why wasn't the board provided in advance of today's meeting the revision of your plans so we could review it?" Miller asked.
After the meeting, Cox said he believed he was following the intent of the Legislature by limiting prison staff layoffs to as few as possible.
Sandoval originally proposed closing the prison on Oct. 1 of this year, but legislators delayed the closure until April 1 so that prison staff could have a better chance of finding jobs in other area prisons.
The six-month closure delay was included in the budget passed by the Legislature and signed by Sandoval.
Cox said the Corrections Department ran up $2.5 million in overtime costs in part because of the slowness in closing the Nevada State Prison and moving staff to other prisons.
He said other prisons did not have a sufficient number of correctional officers while the Nevada State Prison had more than it needed to care for its declining inmate population.
At present, the prison has 73 staff members for 140 inmates, far more than needed.
Most Nevada State Prison workers already have found jobs at other prisons, mainly in the Carson City area. Sixteen have transferred to openings more than 100 miles away at the Lovelock Correctional Center.
But 13 others have chosen not to take the transfer. They will be laid off and eligible for unemployment. Cox said they would be given jobs in Carson City as openings occur at other prisons. About five jobs open up a month through retirement and resignations.
The correctional officers' union represents some prison workers. But under state law, state employees lack collective bargaining rights.
Subramaniam said the union opposed closing the prison, the second-oldest in the West.
Sandoval proposed the closure as a way to save $15 million.
Most of the 700 inmates in the prison have been moved to other prisons, mainly the High Desert State Prison near Indian Springs, about 45 miles northwest of Las Vegas.
Some of the 73 remaining staff members will be laid off when the last inmates leave on Jan. 9, Cox said, although he does not know how many.
As time goes on, they will fill vacancies that come up at the Northern Nevada Correctional Center and conservation camps in the Carson City area, he said.
But Subramanian was not satisfied that the workers will get new jobs.
"This coming during the holidays is not going to be good for the employees," he said.
"Nevada doesn't need any more unemployment. This seems to be a poorly planned move. How much does the governor know about the day-to-day operations of state agencies?"
Contact Capital Bureau Chief Ed Vogel at evogel@reviewjournal.com or 775-687-3901.
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Mr.-no-it-all “These trying times”!.....It has always been business as usual, I appreciate your commenting on my comments but what you call harsh is just plain truth. These people of power given the responsibility to make major decisions have proven time and again that the lack of people skills and organizational experience have been the major reason behind the low moral, regardless of or grave economical blight
There are many people who are capable of doing a much better job but those individuals will never be given the opportunity of leadership because they are not part of the political makeup of favoritism. So lets just be frank, if you are not greased in, it does not matter what your aspirations are. Oh, and thanks but no thanks, I have already given a strip back and would never waist my talents on the NDOC bureaucracy!
whiteowl.. Whereas I agree with most of what you have stated. However, I think you are a bit harsh in some of your comments. i don't know about a "bunch of morons" My feeling is most of these morons are just trying to do the best they can in these trying times.It's bureaucracy at it's best.You know the saying, "sh*t rolls down hill". Whiteowl, if you can do a better job than these idiots and morons, then promote, and do a better job.
Part 2...Even though there are ways to not hire the overtime, supervisors chose to look the other way, take the easy way out, not ask questions, and just hire the overtime. The blind leading the blind. Idiots who could not think for them selves if their lives depended on it!
The NDOC needs an overhaul really fast. What a bunch of challenged supervisors.
Even after all the threats of there being no more overtime, within the same week, the familiar cry’s for overtime ring out over the institutional radios. And we all look at each other and wonder. Who are these morons?
Let it be known that there is no way in hell that any inmate programs will be sacrificed no matter what the budget problems are. Even if it means having to stop a program on paper machete dolls. Inmates have the programs, and the American tax payer will go hungry before any of these worthless programs are ever shut down.
So I don’t care what anyone says, from the top down. They all know what is going on and it has nothing to do with closing down of other institutions. We just have a bunch of morons
Part one
What a bunch of hog wash…..This is the truth the whole truth and nothing but the truth.
Moral is so low at NDOC that Corrections Officers are quitting their jobs right and left.
Not only that, but abusing the sick leave they have earned by utilizing it when ever it is earned. Officers call in minutes before the beginning of the shift leaving the institution in a state of paranoia, concerned that the level of coverage for staff is not maintained.
Then instead of stopping certain operations of the institution, like recreation time for inmates or programs that do not work to stop recidivism, instead of shutting down post, the Sergeants and Lieutenants keep hiring overtime because they just can’t think for themselves.
This results in loads of forced overtime. Then there is a list propagated months in advance for future overtime to maintain minimum staffing. And since most employees are trying to survive on all the cuts to their pay and the increase to deductions from their pay checks, these same people work the overtime to make up for the loses.
You have to be a moron in the upper echelon to not be aware what is going on.
Even the most challenged of staff were asking the obvious questions, if the state is so broke where the hell is all this money coming from to pay for this overtime? We all asked the same questions and wondered when the house of cards would fall.
BEING CENSORED BY THE REVIEW JOURNAL
People do your research AFSME does not represent NDOC employess, state workers do not have collective bargaining right, thefore they do not have a unioin. Vishnu Subramaniam is speaking out of his a**. He has never stepped foot in a Correctional Instituion.
At present, the prison has 73 staff members for 140 inmates, far more than needed. That's BS take a trip down to Southern Desert and a housing unit 204 Convicted felon's to 1 officer.
Also, extra security requested by Sandoval for his family will cost $120,000 for the first 6 months, that works out to $1 million for his four year term. Add that amount to this, I thought he was going to cut waste? He should now resign.
Check out Vishnu Subramaniam on Linkedin.com
The clown has never worked for a legitimate business, never owned a business and was more interested in immigration then domestic issues.His business card should read 'Union Buffoon.'
It's difficult to believe that the membership, much less anyone else can actually take this person seriously.
At present, the prison has 73 staff members for 140 inmates, far more than needed. Wow, way to manage our tax dollars.
Maybe we should keep the prison open so we can put Sandoval and his goons in there. To be fair, Vishnu Subramaniam can also occupy the old prison too. They are all corrupt and this would put them all together so they can play prison games together like drop the soap and drink raisin jack. Say hi to Bubba bays ;)