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Belknap County votes to end CURA food contract, move to Sodexo after repeated service failures
Summary
After repeated shortages and inappropriate meal items, commissioners approved 60 days' notice to terminate the county’s contract with CURA and directed staff to contract with Sodexo as the replacement vendor; transcript shows the motion and approval but does not record roll‑call tallies.
Belknap County commissioners voted to give CURA 60 days' written notice to end its jail food‑service contract, with an intended effective date in mid‑July, and to move forward with Sodexo as the replacement vendor.
Staff told the board the county had experienced multiple service failures in recent weeks — missing staples such as milk, eggs and bananas and instances where unsuitable items were provided to inmates. County staff (Karina and Shel) said they met with the vendor and had a scheduled meeting on Friday; they recommended issuing notice on that day and activating Sodexo, which had bid on the earlier RFP and told staff it could mobilize to start within the transition window.
The meeting record shows staff said the termination clause allows 60 days’ notice with no ongoing obligation. A commissioner moved to accept the recommendation to terminate CURA and proceed with the replacement; the motion was seconded and carried by voice vote. Commissioners praised staff for efforts to salvage service and supported the change.
Next steps: staff said they would deliver the notice to CURA and submit a letter of intent to Sodexo to confirm staffing and logistics for the transition.
