[12/7/04]Two proposals opened Monday for catered food service at the Warren County Jail and other detention facilities will be studied and a recommendation presented to the Warren County Board of Supervisors.

In another matter, a motion by District 4 Supervisor Carl Flanders to consider going into executive session to discuss what happened in executive sessions of the E-911 Commission failed on a 3-2 vote.

The board is considering an outside food service for the jail, the youth detention center and the holding center for mental patients. Privatization would be a change for the county from the current practice of budgeting $180,000 a year for food, supplies and salaries for two cooks who prepare meals in the jail kitchen.

ABL Food Service Management of Baton Rouge offered to provide three meals daily for $1.225 each.

Valley Foods of Jackson made a tiered offer depending on the number of people fed per day and whether trusty labor would be available. The company’s offer for feeding up to 80 people was $3.20 per meal without inmate labor and $1.83 per meal with inmate labor.

Valley also offered a price of $1.87 per meal for up to 160 people without inmate labor and $1.30 with inmate labor.

Purchasing Agent Tonga Vinson said if the county awards a contract to either of the companies, all of the meals would be prepared in the Warren County Jail kitchen using county-owned equipment and with the county paying utilities.

She also said she hoped to make a recommendation to the board on Dec. 20.

In the E-911 matter, Flanders’ motion followed weeks of personnel turmoil and changes at the dispatch center, funded by city and county supplements and assessments on phone bills. Flanders said supervisors should have their own discussion of what took place during three days of executive sessions conducted by the E-911 Commission in November.

The meetings followed the resignation of Allen Maxwell as director of the E-911 Dispatch Center and the resignation of Kelly Worthy, Warren County volunteer fire department coordinator, as chairman of the commission.

County officials on the commission are District 1 Supervisor David McDonald, Sheriff Martin Pace, Worthy and L.W. Callaway III, director of the Warren County Emergency Management Office. City representatives are the mayor and fire and police chiefs.

Flanders said he wanted the closed session to “gather evidence.”

District 2 Supervisor Michael Mayfield responded that, “If there is a problem, Mr. McDonald should know about it” and report to the board since Flanders is not a commission member.

“I haven’t had anyone come to me with a problem since the executive session,” Mayfield said. “Mr. McDonald says it’s all taken care of.”

McDonald said the staffing situation has been resolved, an interim director had been appointed, the commission is looking for a new director and the center is functioning as it should. Later, he declined to say more.