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Fiscal court votes to phase out housing state inmates, sets June 30, 2027 deadline and two‑week letter timeline
Summary
After extended debate about state reimbursements and jail finances, Boyle County Fiscal Court voted to phase out housing state inmates, amend the timeline to June 30, 2027, and direct staff to prepare a draft letter to state officials in two weeks for review by the jail committee.
A magistrate moved and Boyle County Fiscal Court voted on March 24 to phase out housing state inmates and to prepare a draft letter to state officials within two weeks outlining the county’s position.
The motion as amended calls for the county to phase out state inmates by June 30, 2027; to have a draft letter prepared in two weeks for presentation at the first fiscal‑court meeting in April; and for the jail committee to review the plan. The motion passed by voice vote.
The discussion that preceded the vote centered on the county’s long‑standing complaint about the state’s per‑inmate reimbursement rate. “I’ll make a motion that we phase out state inmates by the end of calendar year ’26,” a magistrate said during debate before the court amended the timing and added a jail‑committee review. Opponents urged a short delay to allow legislative activity to finalize, saying two weeks could produce new information; supporters argued the county needed to act to protect taxpayers.
Jail officials told the court the facility’s population and revenue mix have changed, noting the jail was housing both county and state inmates and that housing state inmates had provided cash flow even while operations ran at a loss. The jailer reported current counts and warned the court the decision would have budget implications and require planning for relocating or re‑assigning programs now hosted in the jail.
Court members agreed on two near‑term actions: prepare a draft letter the judge and magistrates can sign and schedule jail‑committee review of operational impacts and the budget implications of phasing out state inmates. The court instructed staff to include the governor’s office and Department of Corrections as likely recipients of the letter.
Next steps: staff will prepare the draft letter for the court’s review in two weeks; the jail committee will complete a review and the court will monitor legislative developments that could affect reimbursement rates.
