Grand Forks County commissioners approve moving jail oversight to sheriff amid calls for more cost data

Grand Forks County commissioners voted March 18 to place the county correctional center under the sheriff's authority and to rename the facility consistent with North Dakota Century Code 11-15-03, which charges the sheriff with custody of the county jail and prisoners.

The move, made on a motion by Commissioner Ross and approved by the commission, came after commissioners heard several hours of discussion, data requests and differing views on whether consolidation would produce net cost savings or operational benefits.

County commissioners and staff said the committee that studied consolidation performed information gathering but did not issue a formal recommendation. Commissioner Ross said the information in the committee packet strengthened his support for the change and moved to proceed. Several commissioners, including Commissioner Rust and Commissioner Peach, said they wanted more detailed, apples-to-apples cost comparisons before committing to structural changes.

"There was no ask for a recommendation. It was really information gathering," a commissioner said during debate, and several members pressed for more concrete financial figures before a broader reorganization.

Correctional center Administrator Burkholder told the commission that turnover and career progression drive much of the staffing dynamic, and he urged the board to consider training and recruitment costs when comparing models. Burkholder said the local police academy tuition for an individual is $6,220.90 for the Grand Forks course and $10,083.92 for the Devil's Lake academy if room and board are included. He also described differences in how transports are counted between his office and the sheriff's office, cautioning that raw trip counts can be misleading without consistent definitions.

"If you wanna get to the street, you start with corrections," Burkholder told the commission, describing how corrections work serves as a training pipeline for other law enforcement agencies.

Several commissioners urged tabling the motion until staff could assemble more complete cost and efficiency data; Burkholder offered to return at a future meeting with a packet of transport comparisons, staffing scenarios and cost estimates. Despite those calls, the motion to transfer oversight and rename the facility passed. The vote was recorded on the meeting transcript as passing; detailed roll-call tallies were not legible in the transcript and are recorded here as not specified.

Commissioners and staff also discussed next steps for implementing the change and the need for careful transition planning. Commissioner Peach recommended a robust consolidation and transition team that would include the correctional administrator, the sheriff, human resources and the state's attorney; Chair Jerry Hagan said the action was effective immediately but stated she did not intend to form a formal committee at that time.

Construction and staffing updates

Separately, the commission received an update on the correctional facility construction and juvenile housing. County construction staff told the board the earliest possible certificate of occupancy for part of the project is in May, but that timeline is contingent on completing the facility's fire sprinkler system because sprinkler zones are interconnected across pods. Staff cautioned that the May date is optimistic if sprinkler work or inspections are delayed.

The project also includes an approved expansion from 72 beds to 82 beds in a pod and staff reported that all furniture has been ordered, with typical delivery lead times of about six weeks. The commission approved a request to refill a recently vacated corrections officer position and directed HR to continue recruiting; staff reported four initial offers were accepted and one was rescinded, leaving three new hires still pending background checks.

On contract accounting, staff asked the commission to approve an amendment to the project's guaranteed maximum price to cover a set of cumulative change orders after the owner contingency was depleted. The commission voted to approve the amendment and authorize signature on the adjusted contract amount so construction work can continue; the transcript reflects the amendment was approved but does not list a line-by-line tally in the recorded minutes.

What happens next

Burkholder and other staff said they will return with more detailed cost, transport and staffing comparisons to allow commissioners to review potential savings, staffing impacts and training costs. Commissioners who opposed taking immediate action said they expect further evaluation and reporting before any operational consolidation beyond the administrative name change is finalized.

The commission did not set a firm deadline for the follow-up packet; staff said they would present additional data at a subsequent commission meeting.