Delaware County will start running the county prison, a.ka. the George W. Hill Correctional Facility, on April 6, writes Kathleen E. Carey for the Daily Times.

 “All in all, we’ll have no problem completing the transition,” county Executive Director Howard Lazarus told Delaware County Council.

The county’s Jail Oversight Board voted in September to end the contract with GEO Group Inc., a for-profit private firm that had been operating the facility off and on since 1998.

The move to de-privatize the prison came in 2020 when Democrats gained control of county council.

Though the county has taken over prison operations, it did contract with WellPath out of Nashville for three years at $29.9 million to provide medical services.

Contracts for food services and the commissary are being finalized. Prison uniforms will come from MES at a cost not to exceed $400,000.

With a personnel manager in place now, hiring is starting In earnest, mostly for correctional officers.

“The recruitment of key personnel and staff is in progress and that is our most critical task,” Lazarus said.

 It’s expected that the majority of the GEO staff will stay on with more competitive pay and benefits, he said.

Read more at the Daily Times about the county’s take over of the prison.