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Commission approves contingency transfer after missed inmate medical invoices
Summary
County staff reported unbilled inmate medical invoices tied to a vendor software change and the board approved a contingency transfer request to replenish the inmate medical budget line.
The board approved a contingency transfer to address previously unprocessed inmate medical invoices that county staff said were missed after a vendor changed its billing system.
Staff explained the county budgets an annual allotment for inmate medical bills and that invoices from hospitals had not been routed properly to the county after the vendor changed software. Staff reported that the county typically budgets $500,000 annually for inmate medical expenses and that, to date this fiscal year, approximately $267,000 had been spent. To cover the newly discovered outstanding invoices and maintain the budgeted funding level, staff requested a contingency transfer of $250,000.
Commissioners discussed the origin of the missing invoices and whether third-party insurers offset some charges. Staff described the county’s past practice of budgeting $500,000 per year for inmate medical costs and explained that, if unspent at year-end, those funds roll to cash-forward. A commissioner described the ancillary program that aids with inmate medical needs as similar to an insurance policy.
A motion to approve the contingency transfer was made, seconded and passed unanimously (5–0). The board directed staff to continue working with the vendor, hospitals and the sheriff’s office to improve invoice routing and billing verification.
