Prison overcrowding, paying for human services, and building projects loom large as Schuylkill County commissioners plan out 2017.

The board reorganized on Tuesday, with George F. Halcovage Jr. continuing as chairman.Halcovage, along with commissioners Gary J. Hess and Frank J. Staudenmeier, talked about their priority issues for the coming year.Chief among them were continuing to resolve the problem of too many inmates housed in the aging county jail in Pottsville.“The obvious challenge as we go forward is the prison,” Staudenmeier said.Commissioners have been sending overflow inmates to out-of-county jails since the state Department of Corrections placed a 277-person cap on the prison population in May.The plan works, but it’s expensive at $60 per inmate per day. Last month, about 48 inmates were housed in Berks, Centre, Columbia and Delaware counties.The county is also poised to begin a drug treatment court on Jan. 7. That special court will provide an intensive supervised program for addicted defendants who are ready to turn their lives around. The court, aimed at getting people clean from addiction, is an alternative to jail.“We need to continue to address (prison overcrowding). Hopefully, the Drug Treatment Court will address it to a degree. It’s obvious we need to rehabilitate these folks, because we hear from the courts and the prison system it’s the same people coming back,” Staudenmeier said.“We need to continue looking at that, and how to handle it. I applaud the efforts of (President) Judge (William E.) Baldwin,” Hess said.Drug addiction is a key driver of prison overcrowding, he said.“It’s not only drug-related. Some of them don’t have a job, don’t know how to get a job. They need to have those skills. Our prison across the street doesn’t have the room to do that.”Hess spoke of the county’s efforts to decide whether to build or lease an intermediate placement facility to house inmates preparing to re-enter society.“That’s going to be the one thing on the horizon that we definitely need to address,” Hess said.County Administrator Gary R. Bender said the county is talking with three entities to explore programs and services that would provide the most cost-effective plans for inmates.Hess also cautioned that commissioners are keeping a keen eye on spending in order to avoid future tax increases.“We need to look at ways to get revenue that is not tied to property taxes,” he said.Halcovage said the budget road promises to be even tougher.“With the budget challenges they have at the state (level) right now, there is concern in human services again that we’re not going to have as much money for more services that need to be provided, that there’s equal or less money coming in,” he said.Halcovage said commissioners would also hone in on bringing more family-sustaining jobs into the county.“We’re in a public/private partnership with (the Schuylkill Economic Development Corporation), and we’re looking at options for growing businesses in this community,” he said.“We’re very fortunate. In comparison to most counties, we’re in really good shape,” Halcovage said. “However, we still have to be vigilant. We have to try to keep expenses down. We’ve challenged everyone in the courthouse to try to do more with less.”Commissioners also expect to bring to fruition a $2.5 million plan to house all of the county’s human services agencies under one roof at a building at 410 Centre St., Bender said.The building now houses the public defender’s office, the election bureau, and the Office of Senior Services.The renovation would add room for the Drug and Alcohol and the mental health agencies, which are now housed in leased space along Route 61 in Pottsville. The county would be able to get government reimbursement for some of the cost through the agencies.The Children and Youth Services Agency moved from the 410 building to its new home across the street last year.The fact that we get along so well is half the battle,” Staudenmeier said. “That’s the expectation of the citizens of Schuylkill County. It’s OK to disagree, but we do it respectfully.”“I have all the confidence in the world that the three of us will work together for the betterment of Schuylkill County in 2017 and as we go forward,” he said.