Franklin County Commissioners approve 40K to fix automatic doors at county jail

 Franklin County Commissioners have agreed to declare an emergency to allow the sheriff's department upgrade its prison door system as quickly as possible.

The declaration of emergency allows the county to bypass its regular bid process so it can more quickly purchase the needed equipment to upgrade the jail door system.

Sheriff AJ Smith said some of the automatic doors at the jail don't always open or close and he needs to upgrade the existing system with newer, more reliable, touch screen controls.

Not having reliable doors puts both inmates and officers in danger.

The new equipment will cost 40 thousand dollars which the county will take out of its capital outlay budget.

The sheriff still has a long list of needs to upgrade the local jail including a new air conditioning unit and an upgraded phone system, both of which could be funded in next year's budget.

The sheriff's office said upgrades to the 911 system is especially critical as the current system has already shut down during emergencies.

Commissioners agreed to prioritize the 911 system and will try to find money in the current budget to upgrade the system as quickly as possible. 

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