Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SATURDAY, April 7, 1990 TAG: 9004070223
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: A10 EDITION: STATE
SOURCE: DEBORAH SENSABAUGH SPECIAL TO THE ROANOKE TIMES & WORLD-NEWS
DATELINE: LEXINGTON LENGTH: Medium
The council also accepted the motion from the jail panel that it be allowed to act independently in the enforcement of corrections to the jail's operation policy.
In the only comment made about the motion from the commission, Mayor H.E. "Buddy" Derrick said that council thought the role of the jail commission had been made clear by a 1990 General Assembly amendment to the state code.
The amendment gives jail boards the authority to establish rules and regulations governing the jail's operations in matters not set forth in state standards and to appoint a jail superintendent and guard.
"We've agreed the jail commission has the right to do all these things," Derrick said of the commission's motion. The motion, which goes to all three local governing bodies for acceptance, addresses corrections in policy that include inmate movement, contact visits, work-release programs, processing of inmates, staff allocation, employment practices and training, and religious services.
Spence has been given 90 days to correct the policy.
The jail commission asked for an investigation of the jail procedure after an inmate escaped while on an unsupervised release program.
Derrick also said that Spence's sitting on the jail commission "might raise some questions at a later date."
In other business at Thursday's meeting, parking problems in Lexington surfaced once again.
A fraternity house resident complained that churchgoers on Main Street block the fraternity driveway on Henry Street during Wednesday and Sunday services. City Manager Joe King recommended that fraternity brothers approach the pastor and work out a solution.
In another parking matter, council member A.C. "Sonny" Jordan complained that a conditional use permit to allow more than four unrelated people to live in some houses did not contain stringent enough controls.
He said that out of 300 parking and noise complaints issued, only three resulted in convictions of residents of student houses.
Council member Louise Moore said that parking was a problem outside of student housing and that if back yards were to become parking lots, landscape buffers should be added to minimize the impact on neighborhoods.
She also said that a three-conviction limit for noise, parking and litter was not protection enough for the neighborhood. After three convictions of residents, the house would lose its conditional use permit.
by CNB