The Monroe County Legislature has tabled a bill that would require the sheriff's office to publicly disclose how it spends its revenue from jail phone calls and tablet use, putting the legislation on hold for now.
The bill would have required the office to issue a biannual report itemizing the fund's revenues and expenditures from the fund, as well as its balance. The revenue is generated from calls made to or from the jail, or from the use of tablets. The legislation was introduced by County Legislator Rachel Barnhart, who for more than a year has attempted to receive a full accounting of the fund. She said she's only received records for 2024 expenditures.
The legislature's Public Safety committee was poised to vote on the legislation Tuesday. Prior to the meeting, the sheriff's office publicly released its expenditures from the fund for 2025 and 2026. The sheriff's office also said it would release figures for 2020 through 2023 in the coming week.
Barnhart, in a statement, called the moved "unprecedented transparency." She also said legislators could bring the bill back for consideration if the remaining data isn't released.
“This is a huge victory for transparency," Barnhart said. “This is money generated through services purchased by incarcerated individuals and their families. The public has had no visibility into how these funds have been spent. Making this information readily available online sets a new standard for transparency in New York State, and I hope other counties will follow Monroe County’s lead."
Barnhart had expressed concern that the fund was vulnerable to misuse, given a lack of oversight or parameters for its use.
The jail phone and tablet revenue fund differs from the commissary fund, which is required by state law to be used for the "welfare and rehabilitation of incarcerated individuals." The sheriff's office does not set any specific parameters for the use of the phone fund, although expenses require sign off by the sheriff.
Expenditures over the past three years have included more than $100,000 in legal fees, nearly a quarter-million dollars on jail uniforms, and over $33,000 on a sidewalk snow vehicle. Other expenditures were for the purchase of power tools, drinking water, hotel stays, and travel fees.
The sheriff's office has declined requests from WXXI News for comment on the fund and how the money from it has been spent.
The fund currently has a balance of $1.9 million.
