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Sheriff reports jail workload, pension fund status and ongoing talks with food-service vendor
Summary
Sheriff provided annual statistics showing increased jail meals and inmates, a pension fund update showing growth but an underfunded status, and said he is negotiating a three-year contract with a vendor for jail food service.
Sheriff’s staff presented a multi-page annual update to the Delaware County Council on Jan. 28, 2025, detailing jail meal counts and costs, inmate housing revenue, pension-fund performance and personnel issues.
Key figures: the sheriff said the jail provided about 469,000 meals in 2024 at an average cost of $1.75 per meal; the pension fund began 2024 with roughly $20.42 million and ended with about $22.00 million after investment gains (the sheriff cited a 10% market return in 2024). The fund’s current funded ratio was described as roughly 76% and the sheriff said an additional $7–8 million would be needed to move toward full funding; achieving that would materially reduce the county’s annual pension contribution.
The sheriff also reported inmate housing revenue from federal and county contracts, noting the county has been a regional housing partner for federal inmates and had generated substantial revenue in recent years. He emphasized the importance of pretrial programs (pretrial probation and home detention) that reduce jail populations and allow the county to accept out-of-county and federal inmates.
On food service, the sheriff said negotiations are underway with a vendor, Victus Food Service, that proposed a three-year fixed-price arrangement at a per-meal cost near current levels (the sheriff cited a proposed $1.67–$1.70 per meal figure). The proposal would make kitchen staff employees of the vendor rather than of the county; the sheriff said details about contract implementation and staff transitions remain under discussion and will be brought back to council if pursued.
Why it matters: Jail operating costs, pension obligations and inmate-housing revenue affect county finances and the budget outlook. The sheriff asked the council to consider a future salary ordinance item to increase part-time jail pay to improve staffing retention.
Next steps: The sheriff indicated he would return with more detailed proposals on meal contracting and a salary ordinance amendment to raise part-time rates; council members and staff said they will review the packet and follow up with questions.
