Tension is rising inside the Oklahoma County Jail Trust after questions were raised about staff pay raises. What started as a discussion about money has now turned into a call for an internal investigation and even a demand for the chairman’s resignation. The issue centres around whether raises were approved after the board had already voted to pause them.
What Sparked the Oklahoma County Jail Trust Controversy?
The controversy began when Derrick Scobey, a member of the Oklahoma County Jail Trust, raised concerns about staff pay raises. According to Scobey, the trust had voted during a January 12 meeting to pause any pay increases for jail staff.
However, he later found documents suggesting that some raises were still approved and went into effect on January 21. The total amount of these raises is said to be close to $250,000 and involves several dozen staff members.
Scobey believes that Jim Holman, the chairman of the trust, went against the board’s decision. He referred to a February 5 letter sent by Holman to the county’s budget board, which he believes supported the pay raises…