Sheriff urges new jail medical contract and recommends vendor change for food; commission sets inmate per diem at $105

Geary County Sheriff Nate Beckman told the commission on May 5 that he is recommending a new vendor for jail medical services and is pushing for a different food-service option — but said contract terms and a kitchen-manager noncompete must be resolved before any change is finalized.

Beckman said three food proposals were under consideration, and that one lower-cost bidder appeared to offer better quality meals but raised a personnel issue: the county’s current kitchen manager is under a noncompete clause with the incumbent provider. “If we can get the manager back in there, I’m pushing towards option 2,” Beckman said. If the manager cannot return, he said, the county may need to retain the current contractor or pursue other offers.

The sheriff described multiple medical-service bids that differed on on-site nursing hours, mental-health coverage and whether electronic medical records (EMR) are included. “Option 3 is what I’m gonna push for as long as the contract works itself out,” Beckman said, citing the vendor’s combination of on-site nursing hours, mental-health services and a price that he said offered better coverage for the jail.

Beckman also said he extended the current medical contract for three months to avoid an immediate lapse while the county evaluates options and negotiates contract terms with potential vendors. He told the commission the county’s out-of-contract medical spending — pharmacy, hospital transports and outside care — is substantial and that an aggregated “pool” of negotiated pricing could reduce those downstream costs.

On a separate but related item, the commission adopted Resolution 05/05/2025 setting a uniform per-diem billing rate of $105 for outside jurisdictions that house inmates in the Geary County detention center. Beckman presented the resolution as an administrative step to bill all jurisdictions at the same rate. “So that’s what I would propose for this resolution,” he said. “So this resolution would be $105 to charge everyone an equal rate across the board no matter what jurisdiction you’re from.” The motion to adopt the resolution was seconded and approved by voice vote.

The sheriff said one of the county’s challenges is that some state agencies (he referenced KDOC figures) have historically paid lower per-diem rates; his financial staff produced a higher internal maintenance-cost estimate (around $140) that, he said, would be needed to break even. He told commissioners pursuing higher rates against state payers would likely require litigation, so the commission chose a uniform $105 rate for now.

The sheriff closed by asking the commission and county counsel to review proposed contract language and procurement details; he said several contract elements remain to be clarified, including notice periods and specific performance terms.

Ending: The sheriff did not ask commissioners to approve a final contractor at the meeting. He left commissioners with the bid comparisons and said county counsel and procurement staff would continue negotiations before bringing a contract back for formal approval.