Marshall County Fiscal Court urges legislature to pass bill raising jail reimbursement

Marshall County Fiscal Court adopted a resolution Feb. 17 urging the Kentucky General Assembly to pass House Bill 557, legislation its members say would rebalance costs between the commonwealth and counties for housing pretrial state inmates.

The resolution, read into the record by Mister Pagel, said county governments across the commonwealth increased general fund transfers to county jails by about 76% from fiscal year 2019 through fiscal year 2025 and noted the commonwealth currently reimburses counties $35.34 per day while counties report an average daily cost of $63.44. The resolution names Representative Michael Meredith as the bill’s introducer and asks Representative Chris Freeland (Marshall County) to cosponsor and support the measure.

Why it matters: County officials say rising jail costs are forcing money away from other services such as roads and bridges. Speakers at the meeting estimated that, given Marshall County’s number of pre‑adjudicated inmates, the county may be missing hundreds of thousands of dollars in reimbursements each year under current rules.

During discussion, Jailer Roger Ford described the strain on county budgets and the jail system, saying county costs have risen sharply while reimbursement rates have not kept pace. Mister Pagel read language in the resolution that would require the commonwealth to reimburse counties at a rate based on actual costs when a defendant is convicted and receives credit for time served, and to encourage regional jail authorities through grant incentives.

The court questioned and clarified the resolution’s language during the meeting and asked for a change to expressly commend Representative Chris Freeland for cosponsoring the bill. After that language was added, the court moved, seconded and voted to adopt the resolution.

What the resolution would do: As drafted and read at the meeting, the resolution urges the legislature to (1) reimburse counties at rates closer to actual costs when state inmates receive credit for time served; (2) require the commonwealth to contract with county fiscal courts or regional jail authorities to house state inmates; (3) incentivize regional jail authorities with grants to encourage economies of scale; and (4) strengthen jail accountability by requiring inmate programming and daily medical professional presence.

Next steps: The clerk was directed to transmit a copy of the resolution to Marsh/Marshall County’s state House and Senate delegation. The resolution is advisory: if HB 557 advances in the Legislature, the county’s request would be considered alongside other stakeholders and budget decisions at the state level.

Quotation: "The commonwealth currently reimburses county governments $35.34 per day for housing prisoners, which is significantly below the statewide average cost to counties of $63.44 per day," read Mister Pagel while presenting the resolution.

The meeting record shows the resolution was adopted by the court at this Feb. 17 meeting.