Jail budget: state inmate revenue offsets operational costs; jail seeks capital replacements and safety equipment

Grand County Jail Commander Shan Hackwell presented the jail’s draft 2026 budget and told the Budget Advisory Board that revenue from housing state inmates and contracted detainees covers a substantial portion of the facility’s operating costs.

Hackwell said the jail’s 2025 state-inmate revenue was about $392,000 and projected roughly $426,000 for 2026 depending on occupancy and state contract levels. “If you take that $392,000 and you take my entire budget other than salaries and most of the benefits, the state pays for the entire budget,” Hackwell said.

Hackwell described other budget lines: reductions in overtime due to adjusted staffing schedules, equipment and supplies costs (including expensive printer inks and paper goods tied to booking), and on-call pay and benefits adjustments tied to a court security position moved into the jail budget. He reported the jail’s daily average population had increased from about 34 in 2024 to roughly 40 in 2025 and that the department was moving to fill a vacant deputy who will start later in the year.

On capital and equipment, Hackwell requested a replacement server that supports jail camera and monitoring systems (funds previously budgeted but deferred). He also requested $4,600 for “electric gloves” (nonlethal control devices) to reduce staff injuries during forced entries; he said such devices are a less-injurious alternative to other force tools. Hackwell said he intentionally budgeted conservatively for recurring lock and maintenance costs (about $3,000) and for food and medical costs tied to variable inmate populations.

Medical expenses remain a notable line item because the county is required to pay for inmate medical care beyond small co-pay amounts; Hackwell said reimbursements occur for some state inmates but county payments for emergency visits and prescriptions can still be substantial. The jail also said it is negotiating a hospital contract to reduce emergency-room costs.

Hackwell and the board discussed tracking nonresident and tourist arrestees for future grant applications; Hackwell said he can separate resident, in‑state nonresident and out‑of‑state arrestee counts and that doing so will help pursue eligible state grants in coming cycles.

Ending: The jail will pursue capital funding for servers through the capital projects fund and refine projections on population, state revenue and medical costs for follow-up budget sessions.