After discussion during a City Council work session earlier this month about the possibility of returning the position of matron to the city jail, the council is set to vote on that tonight at their monthly voting session.

During the work session at the beginning of the month, it was said that the Jamestown City Police Department will be looking to hire up to eight women to fill the matron position following an inspection from the state Department of Corrections who mandated that the position be filled once again. The city used to have matrons at the jail, but not in many years, so it was also noted at the work session that this is not a new position but a filling of one that has not been filled in a long time.

The matrons will not be officers themselves but rather a citizen position that would be considered part-time and on-call, that would be in charge of supervision and keeping charge of any female prisoner brought to the jail. The matrons would only need to work when there are female prisoners. Bringing back the position will also allow for the female block of the jail to be opened and utilized once again, as the department has been hindered from using that. Currently, female prisoners are placed on the benches in the holding area and the holding tank, because right now there are no matrons in the department.

Also on the agenda for tonight’s voting session is the resolution supporting the Energy Choice Act legislation introduced at the federal level by Congressman Nick Langworthy, asking for municipalities to be allowed to have choice when it comes to the types of energy they use in their homes. The resolution encourages state and federal policymakers to consider the local impacts of energy policy on communities such as Jamestown and to preserve flexibility for municipalities, residents, and businesses in meeting their energy needs, according to the agenda.

The city council voting session begins at 7:30 p.m. tonight in the council chambers on the second floor of city hall.