County jail staffing and ICE contracts complicate revenue options, superintendent says
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Summary
Sheriffs superintendent Chris Brackett and budget staff told the subcommittee ICE and U.S. Marshals contracts significantly affect jail housing and revenue; Brackett said detainee distribution and classification needs mean removing contracts would not easily cut staffing or costs.
County jail superintendent Chris Brackett told the Revenues and Capital Expenditures Subcommittee that ICE and U.S. Marshals detainees are concentrated in specific housing units and that classification and separation requirements limit the countys ability to downsize staffing if federal contracts end.
Brackett gave unit-level examples: "In Unit B, 12 of the 32 are ICE detainees. In Unit C Left, 18 of the 20 are ICE detainees," he said, and explained that even if a contract ended the facility would still need to staff and maintain those units because many remaining inmates require separation for safety and classification reasons.
Budget staff said ICE-related revenue is approximately $9,000,000 and U.S. Marshals funds roughly $4,000,000 in the current estimates; staff offered to provide a five-year revenue breakdown. The contracts are three-year agreements, and staff said they were still in early years of those terms (ICE contract roughly one year in, Marshals contract several months in).
Members asked whether the delegation or county commissioners had authority to alter contracts; staff said commissioners are the executive authority for contract decisions, not the delegation. Brackett emphasized the complexity of classification rules and the practical limits on reducing staffing costs even if federal detainee revenue were to decline.
Representative Howard requested the historical ICE revenue figures and Bauer agreed to provide both person-count and dollar figures to the committee for review.
