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Council questions county jail per‑diem, seeks inmate-day counts as county seeks higher rates
Summary
Council members pressed city staff on the $99 daily per‑inmate charge the county billed for Cleveland inmates, asked for a day-count reconciliation and raised alarms that a county proposal of about $175–$178 would exceed the city’s 2025 budgeted amount.
Council members pressed the administration for detail on the city’s contract and payments to the county for housing Cleveland inmates, after staff said the city had budgeted $3 million in 2025 for a $99-per-day per‑inmate contract.
Lisa Scafidi, the house-of-corrections liaison and jail manager, told the council the city paid an unaudited $3,000,000 last year and that the county’s current per‑day charge to the city is $99. Scafidi said the county contract allows the county to request a 2% increase some years; the administration said the county had not exercised that increase in recent years.
Council members asked for two specific pieces of data: the total inmate-days the city paid (the number of booked inmates multiplied by their days in county custody) and the historic daily counts that underlie the city’s per‑diem expense. The finance director confirmed the city had billed the county for 6,532 Cleveland inmates in 2024 and that, based on unaudited numbers, about $2.5 million of the city’s 2024 encumbrance related to the county per‑diem.
Why it matters: Council members flagged a county proposal reported in public discussion that would lift the per‑diem toward roughly $174–$178. Council members said that increase would push the city above the 2025 budgeted level and asked staff for an analysis of likely cost exposure if the county rate rises. The administration said the budget currently assumes the $99 daily figure and that any county increase could cause the city to exceed budget.
Other budget items: Scafidi confirmed the city budgeted $750,000 in medical services under “pre‑booking medical” to cover medical costs incurred before individuals are booked into county custody. Scafidi said once a person is booked into county custody the medical bill is the county’s responsibility and not an extra charge to the city beyond the per‑diem.
Requests and follow-up: Council members asked the administration to supply — in writing — inmate-day totals (how many days Cleveland inmates spent in county custody), a reconciliation of accounts and whether the budgeted $3 million will cover potential per‑diem increases. Staff agreed to provide the days‑incarcerated data, a breakout of the unaudited payments, and further explanation of any contractual inflator provisions that could affect the 2025 forecast.
Ending: The council summarized that the 2025 budget assumes the $99-per-day rate; if the county seeks a much higher per‑diem, council members warned the city could face a multi‑hundred‑thousand‑dollar additional expense to be addressed during reconciliation or through negotiations with the county.
