Jefferson County committee recommends raising out-of-county jail housing fee to $75

A Jefferson County jail oversight committee discussed recommending that the county raise its out-of-county inmate housing fee from $65 per day to $75 per day and confirmed the booking fee is around $30, committee members said. The committee did not open a formal meeting or take a recorded vote; members described the item as a recommendation to the county commissioner.

Committee members said rising costs for food service, medical care and other inmate needs have increased the county's per-inmate daily cost. "We've been sitting at $65 a day for a very long time," said Speaker 2, a committee member. "With the cost increases and things like that, I think it's time we need to take another look at that and possibly increase them to $75." Speaker 2 added, "I would say, I'm gonna at least 10 years we've been sitting there." Speaker 2 also said the county compiles an annual cost breakdown for the Department of Corrections and that the per-inmate cost estimate is "somewhere pretty close to $75." "So I came up with that number," Speaker 2 said.

Speaker 1, a committee member, noted the county wants to keep housing out-of-county inmates as a source of revenue while avoiding pricing itself out of that market. "We still wanna house out of county inmates as a source of revenue for the county. If we go too high, then we're just we're simply not gonna get that business," Speaker 1 said. Speaker 1 also reported that "we did have 1 person saying it should be $80 and I'll screw you with 75," reflecting differing views among participants.

On booking fees, Speaker 1 said, "The booking fee should be around $30." Speaker 2 explained the booking fee covers items given at intake such as a hygiene kit, headphones for tablets, uniforms and shoes. "If we add more things like they get a radio upon booking, we would increase the booking fee to cover that cost," Speaker 2 said.

Committee members repeatedly clarified that no formal vote was taken because the meeting had not been opened as a public meeting; Speaker 3 said, "It's only a recommendation from this committee to the commissioner." One participant asked whether the discussion was considered a public meeting; another responded that because the group had not opened a meeting, it was effectively an informal discussion and not a formal action.

Next steps were not specified in the discussion. Committee members said the recommendation would go to the county commissioner for further consideration. The transcript did not record a formal motion, a vote tally, or a decision by the commissioner.