Commissioner outlines plan for inter-county prisoner housing, says MOU will be drafted

A county official updated the board on ongoing talks about relocating and housing detainees under a possible memorandum of understanding with neighboring jurisdictions.

"So with respect to that, I'll put together an MOU," Speaker 3 said, describing a per‑person, per‑day fee arrangement the counties had discussed and noting prior related expenditures. In the discussion Speaker 3 referenced prior annual costs described in the meeting as "an excess of 300,000" and said per‑person per‑day charges could rise toward the "40‑something dollar" range if trends continue.

Speaker 3 described that the arrangement would create a per‑person daily charge that both counties would know in advance; he framed this as a cap that could help budget future detainee housing costs. He also noted administrative points such as the potential to conduct initial hearings by Zoom, which could affect the logistics of transfers and judicial access.

The board did not take a formal vote on the MOU at this meeting. Speaker 3 said he would draft the MOU and circulate it for review; the board agreed to consider the document in a future agenda once staff and counsel had reviewed terms and per‑diem calculations.