POINTE COUPEE - Pointe Coupee parish is under fire after an audit shows there's hole by almost a million dollars.

"The tax that supports the actually jail is only bringing in a 192,000 dollars so the amount of prisoners that we're housing and the operations itself on the police jury side ... is over half a million dollars a year," New Roads police juror Justin Cox.

The audit shows that the budget for the Detention Center has not been monitored nor has a strategy been put in place to eliminate the deficit. However, Pointe Coupee officials said they have ideas on how they plan to save and cut cost.

Police juror Justin Cox currently serves as the Chairman for the Detention center committee. He said one of the main issues that's contributed to this financial hole is the number of inmates with simple misdeamnor charges who can't afford to bond out. 

He said his committee is looking into providing ankle bracelets for those inmates instead having them at the jail longer than usually.

"The cost of this bracelet is half of that, so that'll be a cost savings within itself," said Cox.

Pointee Coupe Parish Adminstrator John Grezaffi said they've been using other sources of funds to help pay off the jail. He said he's been in talks with the Sheriff about having a possible millage put up on the ballot in the near future.

"It's either that or close it down and I mean that's where we're headed and we don't want to see it closed," said John Grezaffi.

 Cox said the detention committee will meet next week to talk about tracking devices for some inmates as well as other cost saving options for the jail.