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Supervisors report $30,000 juvenile‑detention kitchen upgrade and new intercounty housing contract
Summary
The board discussed using $30,000 from the juvenile detention budget to upgrade a kitchen at Lee County Jail's adjacent juvenile facility and described a new contract to accept juveniles from other counties at $225 per bed per day.
Supervisor Jim Carey said the county allocated $30,000 from the juvenile detention budget to upgrade the kitchen at the juvenile detention facility adjacent to Lee County Jail so meals can be prepared there and served to the juvenile population. "We allocated $30,000 out of our juvenile detention budget, and we've got money to do it to, upgrade the kitchen over at Lee County Jail," Carey said.
Carey said the upgraded kitchen will allow the juvenile facility to receive meals prepared next door and that the change could start by the end of the year. The board also discussed a contractual arrangement to accept juveniles from nonmember counties into the regional facility. Carey said the county will accept nonmember counties' juveniles for $225 per day, noting the facility provides certified teachers and programming for detained youth.
Why it matters: allocating funds to upgrade the kitchen reduces reliance on external meal sources and may lower per‑detainee operational costs. The intercounty contract could increase facility use and revenue but also raises capacity and operational considerations.
Discussion versus action: Carey described the allocation and the intercounty contract as actions that have been agreed; the transcript records his report but does not show the motion or vote that approved the allocation at this meeting. Officials characterized the contract terms as $225 per bed per day and said Washington County was expected to be the first to sign.
Details and context: Carey emphasized that the facility has certified school teachers who provide courses to detained youth, which he said adds value compared with alternatives. He said Polk County was keeping the regional facility "pretty full," and the intercounty contract price reflects program costs and staffing.
Next steps/uncertainty: Carey said the kitchen upgrade will likely start by the end of the year. The transcript does not record a board motion at this meeting to approve the intercounty contract; officials reported that counties have expressed interest in signing.
