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Oldham County approves 2026–27 jail budget as public criticizes ICE partnership
Summary
Oldham County Fiscal Court approved the detention center—s 2026—27 budget, projecting $8.77 million in revenue and a $315,584 transfer to the general fund. A public commenter accused ICE of civil-rights abuses and urged the county to reconsider transporting immigration detainees; officials said federal contracting revenues are a large, but fluctuating, portion of the jail—s income.
Oldham County Fiscal Court on March 17 approved the Oldham County Detention Center—s 2026—27 budget, which projects $8,452,000 in expenses, $8,768,000 in revenue and a net transfer of $315,584 to the general fund.
During public comment, Michael Slider of Crestwood criticized the county—s partnership with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), saying the agency has shown "their disregard for basic civil liberties and rule of law has become so commonplace" and urging the county to end its role in transporting immigration detainees to the facility. Slider cited several national incidents as examples and argued per‑diem payments create financial incentives to detain people.
Judge Executive David Vogle acknowledged the allegations but said the county has no authority to adjudicate federal law-enforcement practices, telling attendees the federal government decides which detainees are brought to local facilities and that such national issues exceed the county—s authority.
The jailer—s presentation and subsequent committee discussion made clear the county relies heavily on federal contracts to fund the detention center. Officials said of the $8,768,000 in projected revenues for fiscal year 2027, about $7,435,000 is expected from federal sources, including roughly $3.1 million tied to ICE. County officials and jail staff said inmate counts and contract revenue fluctuate by year and that the facility currently also houses U.S. Marshals and other federal or interstate inmates.
Magistrates pressed staff on contingency plans if federal immigration-related revenue were to fall away. County staff said the jail has previously operated through lower population years (for example during 2020) and that the jail does not currently refuse inmates from federal partners; the U.S. Marshals Service was described as a continuing source of detainees.
The court moved the budget to the floor and approved it by voice vote.
What happens next: the detention-center budget will be folded into the county—s regular budget process in the coming weeks, and magistrates said they will continue to monitor inmate counts and federal contract revenue as those numbers change.
