News Detail
Franklin County Provides Update on Status of Operations at County Jail
Jail
October 16, 2025
CHAMBERSBURG, Pa. – On Wednesday, Warden Heather Franzoni provided the Franklin County Commissioners with an update on operations at the Franklin County Jail, including the current state of staffing at the facility, during the board’s weekly public meeting.
The Franklin County Jail currently employees 52 full-time and two part-time correctional officers in addition to its administrative staff; another two full-time officers will join the roster Oct. 23. That number is far below the threshold to operate the facility without putting a strain on staff who then have to work overtime to make up for vacant positions.
Despite the county’s exhaustive efforts to recruit and retain correctional officers, turnover at the jail has been significant. Since January 2022, the county has interviewed more than 500 individuals for the correctional officer position. Of those 500-plus individuals, nearly 140 people were hired – including almost 50 in 2025 alone. That figure would be more than enough to create a fully functioning staff complement, but turnover remains high. Feedback from those who quit indicates their schedule is the primary reason for their resignation.
To address the jail’s staffing challenges, Franklin County leadership is in ongoing negotiations with the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME). These talks, which began in late 2024, have included offers and counteroffers by both parties and, at times, multiple days of negotiation attempts alongside the head of the state Bureau of Mediation.
“The county remains willing to bargain in good faith, but negotiations require a willingness to listen as well as give and take on both sides. This is not an ‘us’ vs. ‘them’ scenario. We all want the same thing – the safety and wellbeing of our employees,” said Franklin County Commissioner Chairman Dean Horst. “We have offered as much as what we are able while still being fiscally responsible to our taxpayers.”
Franklin County’s proposal addresses the leading factors cited in officers’ exit interviews: unpredictable schedules and limited weekends off. Specifically, the county has proposed a set 12-hour work schedule that offers staff an improved work-life balance by guaranteeing a three-day weekend every other weekend and increasing officers’ time off from 104 days per year to 182 days per year – an increase of 78 additional days, or 75%. In a 14-day pay period, officers would have seven days off, which is equivalent to 49.8% of a year off from work, almost as much time as teachers who have an entire summer off from school.
Though officers’ exit interviews do not uniformly indicate salary is a reason for leaving the jail, the county’s proposal also includes an 8% increase to an officer’s salary, the maximum sustainable adjustment the county can make at this time. It is the highest one-time wage adjustment the county has ever offered a single group of employees.
The AFSCME proposal, by comparison, includes a different type of 12-hour schedule and a 15.5% average increase in officers’ salaries. The county does not believe this schedule would be the best long-term solution but has agreed to try this model in exchange for a trial period of the county’s preferred model. AFSCME opposed considering a move from its suggested 12-hour model to the county’s preferred schedule. The 15.5% increase also far exceeds the county’s budget capacity.
“The county respects its correctional officers, but to ensure their safety and the safety of those in jail, we must have a sufficient number of officers,” said Commissioner Bob Ziobrowski. “I believe there is a solution that will enhance retention of officers while maintaining fiscal stability—it simply requires compromise and a willing spirit to try that solution.”
In early September, the county asked AFSCME to present its latest proposed solution to union members for a vote. AFSCME refused, which effectively ended mid-contract negotiations. The county anticipates negotiations could be stalled until sometime in the first quarter of the new year before talks can resume.
With no resolution in sight in the immediate future, the county is working with jail staff and the Franklin County Prison Board to implement temporary solutions to meet these challenges until a resolution can be achieved. That includes making the inmate population more manageable for the current staffing complement. Franzoni proposed jail administration review select groups of inmates to be temporarily rehoused at facilities in neighboring counties. Doing so would eliminate at least one post per shift at the jail, thereby freeing up staff to cover other units and allowing officers to have more time off.
“This is not the first time we have had to temporarily move inmates for operational purposes, and doing so now will help reduce the strain on our staff,” said Franklin County Commissioner John Flannery, chair of the county’s prison board. “The Franklin County Prison Board approves of Warden Franzoni’s decision to reduce the jail’s inmate population, and she and her staff have the prison board’s full support moving forward.”
“At the end of the day, we all report to the taxpayers – our neighbors, our families, our friends – and we have a responsibility to keep them at the forefront of all the decisions we make,” said Horst.