Commission hears dispute over inmate telecom contract records as sheriff seeks addendum

The sheriff asked commissioners to approve an addendum to the county’s inmate telecommunications contract during the Nov. 12 work session, proposing a three‑year extension, replacement of obsolete devices with tablets that will support educational apps, and a modest per-call rate increase.

The sheriff described the tablets as modern replacements for legacy devices and said the addendum expands available technology grant funds to roughly $115,000 that could support educational programming in the jail. “We want to upgrade the tablets in our facility,” the sheriff said, adding that the existing device vendor was phasing older hardware out.

Commissioner Rick (surname not fully audible on the record) said he could not find a record in the commission minutes showing the initial contract had come before the full commission and pressed staff on the procurement history. The sheriff responded that he had presented the contract and that the commission awarded the bid, noting the contract was signed by the chairman and others. County staff said they had trouble locating the item in the minutes, though they had records of when it appeared on the workstation.

The exchange left a procedural dispute on the record about whether the original contract had been properly documented in minute records; the sheriff maintained the contract was competitively bid and previously approved. Commissioners asked questions about rates, inmate charges and oversight; there was no final roll-call vote on the addendum recorded in the meeting transcript.

Next steps: staff and the sheriff indicated they would clarify the procurement record and return with final documentation and recommendations.