Trumbull County extends one-year dispatch contract while commissioners debate three-year jail-housing deal with Warren

Trumbull County commissioners discussed plans this week to renew emergency-dispatch services with the City of Warren while deciding whether to commit to a multi-year jail-housing agreement that would increase payments for municipal inmates.

An agency official who oversees dispatch told the board the county is proposing a one-year extension while consultants finish a new 9-1-1 funding formula. The renewal on the agenda lists an annual payment from Warren of $631,008.39, payable in quarterly installments. The official described the extension as a temporary measure “to get us through the end of the year” while the 9-1-1 final plan is completed and municipal concerns are addressed (agency official, transcript label 8).

Several commissioners urged caution. One commissioner said chiefs from across the county have raised questions about the current payment schedule and asked that the county hold a separate meeting with police chiefs and fire chiefs before finalizing the contract. “I think we have to listen to them, gentlemen,” the commissioner said (Commissioner, transcript label 1). The board agreed to try to schedule a special 9-1-1 meeting.

The session also focused on a proposed three-year jail-housing memorandum of understanding with Warren, which would replace a long series of short-term renewals. Major Bobby, a sheriff’s office representative, and Bill Danso of the prosecutor’s office provided background on the history of municipal payments for inmates and the difficulty of calculating precise per-inmate costs from the county’s current systems. Danso said municipalities are generally responsible for inmates jailed on municipal offenses and that the flat-fee arrangements in prior years grew out of practical and historical billing challenges (Prosecutor Bill Danso, transcript label 9).

Commissioners split over whether to accept three years up front. Some argued a multi-year agreement would secure an increase from prior annual amounts and restore payments the county has not been receiving; others said a one-year arrangement would preserve leverage while staff and the sheriff’s office complete a study to determine the county’s true per-inmate costs. “It might be better to do one year and then look at year two and three,” one commissioner said (Commissioner, transcript label 5).

The prosecutor’s office agreed to contact Warren’s law department to request any proposed contract language and to advise whether the document on the agenda — described as a memorandum of understanding that would be followed by a formal contract — is sufficient for the commissioners to sign. Commissioners directed staff to get clearer contract paperwork and more detailed cost data on municipal inmates before approving a long-term commitment. Major Bobby and jail administration were asked to provide a breakdown of per-inmate costs and how prisoner days are tracked.

Next steps: the board will schedule a separate 9-1-1-focused meeting with municipal chiefs and expect the prosecutor to review Warren’s proposed contract language. The dispatch renewal as written remained on the agenda for discussion but commissioners did not finalize a multi-year commitment for the jail-housing agreement during the workshop.