The LaSalle County Public Safety Committee agreed to table consideration of the inmate and juvenile health care services contract to allow short‑term research into alternatives, including performing services in‑house, splitting services, or rebidding. Committee members expressed concern about the contract’s recent cost escalation and staffing shortfalls reported by the current contractor.

A sheriff’s office representative described staffing and service issues under the county’s current contract, saying the contractor invoked a 30‑day opt‑out for a previously separate dental services arrangement after vendor nurses refused work in a hot jail medical area. Committee members reviewed contract terms reported by staff, including a $30,000 annual cap on certain medical expenses in the contractor agreement and a $1,200 prescription aggregate figure that committee members sought to clarify whether it is separate or included in the $30,000 cap.

County board member Brian Dose said he performed a cost estimate comparing the contract price to a hypothetical in‑house model and concluded hiring county nurses and clinicians could substantially lower costs — he presented an example estimate that reduced projected county spending by several hundred thousand dollars compared with the vendor price. Committee members asked staff to confirm liability/insurance costs for county hiring and to consult the county insurance trust. Ray and Tom raised the need to factor in professional liability and administrative overhead.

Committee members discussed the procurement history: past solicitations drew one or two bids; last year there was only a single bidder. Staff said the current contract expires Dec. 1 and that the normal public‑bid timetable (request, three‑week posting, bid opening, multiple committee reviews) could take months. To avoid missing the deadline, the committee asked staff to pursue a fast, tiered approach: (1) request information from the insurance trust and clarify insurability and liability costs; (2) explore splitting mental‑health services from medical services; and (3) determine how quickly an in‑house model could be stood up.

Members voted to table the contract and formed a two‑person working group to expedite research and bring back options. The committee asked staff to pursue bids and regulatory/insurance checks on an expedited schedule so the board can act before the contract’s Dec. 1 expiration. The tally on the motion to table was recorded as passed by voice; the committee later arranged limited informal check‑ins (two committee members permitted) to keep momentum without violating open‑meetings rules.

Staff also reported the contractor has agreed to amend the contract to reimburse the county for unfilled hours to create an incentive to fill open clinical shifts; a separate dental contract was terminated by the dental vendor after workplace‑condition complaints.