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Medford council approves two-year municipal jail-bed agreement with Jackson County
Summary
The City of Medford on Sept. 17 approved a two-year intergovernmental agreement with Jackson County to reserve 14 municipal jail beds under the municipal court’s control, increasing the per-bed daily rate while keeping the city’s total payment unchanged. Supporters said the beds reduce repeat arrests and warrants.
The Medford City Council voted unanimously Sept. 17 to approve a two-year amendment to its intergovernmental agreement with Jackson County that reserves 14 municipal jail beds for the city’s municipal court.
City Attorney Eric Minton, who presented the staff report, said the new agreement reduces the number of reserved beds from 20 to 14 while keeping the city’s total dollar obligation the same by raising the per-bed daily rate from $50 to about $71. The amended agreement runs two years and directs parties to begin renegotiation in January 2027.
Municipal Court Judge Virginia Greer described how the city uses the beds: the livability team asks for "no-matrix" holds to place chronic offenders, repeat retail-theft suspects or people with repeated failures to appear into municipal beds so the court can impose sanctions, connect people with services and reduce docket backlog. "Those warrant requests went down about 46%," Greer said, citing recent court reports.
Sheriff Nate Sickler outlined services available at the county facility and described programs intended to reduce recidivism, including a transition-care coordinator, a jail reentry program (JIRP), peer networks and medication-assisted treatment (MOUD). He said county operating costs for a jail bed were discussed during negotiations and that other contracts (for example, with the U.S. Marshals) reflect higher per-day rates, which informed the compromise.
Councilors pressed staff on how the agreement would be paid and on alternatives. Minton said the city had budgeted the same total amount for the biennium and the revised structure should not require a supplemental budget. Councilor Kevin Stein framed the change as part of a stepped progression that began with three reserved beds, then eight, and now 14; he said he supported the amendment.
Councilors who spoke in favor cited public-safety and efficiency gains from having municipal beds available; Councilor John Quinn described the vote as "an absolute no-brainer" and praised the program’s effect on repeat offenses. The motion carried 8–0.
The agreement’s stated aims are to ensure municipal control for pretrial holds and short sanctions, to help law enforcement and court staff avoid repeated time-consuming warrant cycles, and to allow service providers an opportunity to connect people to treatment and resources while in custody. The council may revisit funding levels if unallocated funds become available.
The ordinance (council bill 2025-78) takes effect upon adoption; implementation details and performance metrics were discussed but not formally adopted during the meeting.
