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Lackawanna County prison board approves one-year extension with Aramark for inmate food services
Summary
The board voted to recommend a one-year amendment to the county's food-service agreement with Aramark Correctional Services LLC after staff said unit costs remain unchanged; public comment raised concerns about beverage options and food quality.
The Lackawanna County Prison Board voted unanimously to recommend a one-year amendment to its agreement with Aramark Correctional Services LLC for food services at the county jail, citing cost consistency and time to rebid next year.
County financial staff member David Bolzoni told the board the county’s cost calculations used a prisoner count of 633 and that unit costs “remain the same.” He said the county’s unit cost structure compares favorably with peer counties and that the food-service budget for the year is about $1,400,000, with prisoner meals accounting for roughly $953,000 and staff meals about $216,000. Bolzoni noted measures of inflation used by vendors — the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics one‑year CPI for food (2.9%) and the “food away from home” measure (3.8%) — and said Aramark initially proposed increases reflecting those figures but later adjusted its pricing through the RFP process.
Warden (name not provided) said Aramark has provided service for several years and that he had received “very little if any grievances that are hitting my level from inmates regarding food quality or quantity.” Board members asked questions about snack and beverage pricing and noted that some line‑item adjustments (for items such as snacks) are minor relative to the principal cost drivers of prisoner and staff meals.
During public comment, Leslie Smith, speaking on behalf of female inmates, read a letter alleging maintenance and cleanliness problems in housing units and said the food “isn't completely horrible” but requested alternatives to the powdered juice packets currently provided. The board and staff encouraged inmates to use the facility’s grievance or maintenance request procedures so issues could be documented and addressed.
The motion to review and recommend approval of the one‑year amendment to the Aramark agreement passed on a motion and second with an affirmative voice vote; recorded votes were not specified in the transcript.
