Kent County commissioners sign regional detention-center cooperative agreement amid questions about interim costs

Kent County commissioners voted Jan. 28 to sign a three-county cooperative-services agreement that formally binds Kent County, Queen Anne’s County and Caroline County to pursue planning and state funding for a Midshore Regional Detention Center.

The agreement commits the three counties to seek a regional facility and establishes governance and funding shares if the project proceeds. Commissioners said the move is intended to secure a place for Kent County inmates in a modern facility and to reduce long‑term operating costs, even though the project’s capital and operating details remain uncertain.

The League of Women Voters, county staff and local law enforcement had raised concerns and questions before the vote about interim arrangements while the new facility is planned and built. Those issues included where Kent County inmates would be housed in the near term, the cost of transporting inmates, preserving existing detention‑center staff positions, and whether the state will provide the anticipated capital funding.

Commissioner John F. Price, a member of the board, said the agreement demonstrates Kent County’s intent to proceed with the project; he and other commissioners emphasized the decision does not itself create construction obligations if partner counties or the state do not proceed. Commissioner Albert H. Nickerson noted the county also must plan for partial shuttering of the existing facility and maintain the building and some staffing while county inmates are housed elsewhere.

Shelley (county staff) briefed the board on prior estimates for renovating the existing county detention center, which she said were about $14 million but likely higher given inflation and time elapsed. County staff also told the board the facility’s ongoing operating budget was approximately $4.2 million a year, with medical costs alone near $760,000 annually.

Sheriff Hickman and other law-enforcement officials supported pursuing a regional center, saying a modern facility would provide improved medical, treatment and programming space and could reduce liabilities and some operating costs through economies of scale. County commissioners and staff said they expect to retain corrections staff and that Queen Anne’s County has indicated the new facility’s staffing levels would accommodate current employees from partner counties.

Commissioners stressed that the agreement is contingent on participation from all three counties. If Caroline County does not sign, the agreement as drafted would not proceed and the partners would have to negotiate alternate arrangements or a smaller facility. Commissioners also discussed interim “partial shuttering” of the county’s existing detention center — moving Kent inmates to neighboring counties while keeping staff on payroll to maintain services and the building in a condition that would allow re‑opening if needed.

The motion to sign the cooperative agreement passed by voice vote; the board recorded the motion as approved.

County staff said the next steps include revising memoranda of understanding (MOUs) with partner counties and presenting more detailed cost and operating projections to the board. Commissioners said they plan a public hearing and additional discussions with the courts to explain how inmate transportation and court appearances would be managed while the regional project proceeds.