Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Jail Services Sunnyside topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Snoqualmie seeks renewal with Sunnyside jail to cut long-term incarceration costs
Summary
Interim Chief Harase asked the committee to renew the interlocal agreement with Sunnyside for housing sentenced inmates 30 days or longer; staff said Sunnyside’s non-guaranteed bed rate will rise from $60 to $68.99 and that the arrangement yields substantial savings versus other jails.
Interim Chief Harase presented a request to renew the City’s interlocal agreement with Sunnyside for jail services (agenda bill AB25-043). Harase said the Sunnyside arrangement began in October 2023 and is used primarily for sentenced inmates serving 30 days or longer.
Harase told the committee the Sunnyside rate for a non‑guaranteed bed was $60 in 2024 and will move to $68.99 in 2025 for long‑term sentenced inmates. He contrasted that with daily rates at other facilities discussed in the packet: Issaquah at about $150 per day, King County at $273.39 per day, and a cited $204.97 daily rate for another facility (as read into the record). Harase said those differences make Sunnyside a considerable savings on long‑term commitments.
The chief described operational details: Sunnyside performs initial transports to and from its facility at no extra cost; Snoqualmie officers may travel to Sunnyside when medical or other special circumstances require it. Harase said that inmates are generally processed out of the facility where they were originally booked (typically Issaquah) and that Sunnyside houses men only; female inmates for long‑term sentences are booked elsewhere.
Council members asked about bed guarantees and work‑release programs. Harase said Sunnyside and Yakima provide non‑guaranteed beds (the city does not pay for unused beds) and that the City’s court does not currently run a work‑release program. He noted that maintaining a pool of jails is prudent because any facility can refuse inmates for medical or behavioral reasons.
The committee agreed to place the Sunnyside renewal on the consent agenda for council action; no final council vote on the renewal is recorded in the transcript of this committee meeting.
