Commissioners authorize $234,865 budget amendment to finish emergency Polk County Jail repairs

Polk County commissioners on June 10 approved a resolution authorizing a budget amendment of $234,865 to cover unanticipated repair work at the Polk County Jail, including previously approved heating and air-conditioning replacements and additional anticipated repairs.

The court discussed two emergency projects that had already been approved earlier in the year: replacement of a hot water boiler (approved Jan. 28, 2025) and replacement of three air-conditioning units (approved Feb. 11, 2025). County staff reported additional appropriations were needed to fully fund those projects and other expected repairs.

County staff proposed using surplus revenues from the county’s IH secure detention per diem payments and other surplus operations revenue to fund the amendment in order to maintain purchasing and accounting procedures and avoid a general-fund shortfall. The county reported receiving $200,273.52 more in IH per diem revenue than budgeted for the current period.

Commissioner Pervis moved the resolution; Commissioner Cassidy seconded. The court voted in favor. “These unexpected movement failures disrupted operations and also presented safety concerns for jail staff and inmates,” staff told the court when briefing the repairs.

In related action, the court approved payment of a $10,000 invoice to Lake Area Construction from capital outlay for installation of a partition between toilets and showers in an older section of the jail to meet privacy requirements. The invoice was included in the meeting packet and the payment was authorized by the court.

Staff said the funding approach would use surplus revenues to ensure compliance with county purchasing rules and maintain transparency while completing repairs the court had already identified as safety-related.