Council approves amended inmate labor contract with Department of Corrections

The McAlester City Council voted unanimously to authorize the mayor to sign amendments to the city's prisoners public-works contract with the Oklahoma Department of Corrections. City staff said the Department of Corrections requested two changes to the agreement that had been approved by the council in February.

City staff member Miss Knight told the council that one amendment corrects how an administrative fee is listed in the contract and that another revises the monthly payment calculations now that the city has approved use of 10 inmates. "The first amendment was, a $10 the original contract had a $10 administrative fee. The administrative fee was actually supposed to be 10%," Miss Knight said. She added that the department asked for the total monthly amount to reflect the use of 10 inmates rather than the per-inmate figure listed earlier.

The mayor asked for discussion; none was offered. Councilor Beatty moved to approve the amendment and Councilor Woodley seconded. A roll-call vote was taken and recorded as unanimous "yes," after which the mayor declared the motion carried.

Why it matters: The amended contract governs use of inmate crews for public works tasks and affects how the city accounts for administrative charges and monthly payments. City staff said local businesses had reacted positively to restoring the inmate labor program because of expected cost savings.

What comes next: The mayor is authorized to sign the amended contract. Staff did not provide a public timeline for when inmate crews would next be deployed under the revised terms.

Sources: Remarks and explanation by Miss Knight to the council during the March meeting.