Monongalia County moves to curb rising jail bills, shifts funds and adds prosecutorial staff

Monongalia County commissioners on May 20 outlined a multi‑step plan to rein in rapidly rising regional jail bills, saying the county expects to spend about $3.2 million this year on jail per‑diems, up from a budgeted $2.2 million.

The Commission approved moving $1,031,660 from contingency into the regional jail fund to cover projected year‑end costs and discussed reorganizing the jail‑bill committee into a smaller, more focused working group to analyze case processing, transport agreements and metrics. "We added another million dollars to our regional fund to cover just this year's cost. That puts this year's jail bill cost at 3.2 million, which we originally budgeted 2.2," the Chair said during the meeting.

Why it matters: per‑diem rules and a census‑based formula mean costs can rise even if the number of jailed days stays steady. Commissioners emphasized they will "focus on days, not dollars"—that is, the number of pretrial and misdemeanor days in county jails—because per‑diem rates and statutory Census calculations now drive the county's exposure.

The prosecuting attorney told the Commission that faster case resolution is central to lowering the county's jail bill. "The number one way that we can do better is just quicker resolution of these cases," Gabe said, noting that adding staff will allow reassignment of caseloads so less complex matters can be resolved promptly and more serious felony matters move to state prison costs when appropriate.

Steps the Commission described and approved or endorsed:

- A transfer of $1,031,660 from contingency to the regional jail fund to cover expected costs this fiscal year (approved as part of budget revisions and consent items).

- Reconstituting the existing jail bill committee into a smaller, more nimble working group led by local process owners (the prosecutor and a circuit judge were identified as key leads) to analyze process inefficiencies.

- Adding prosecutorial and administrative staff in the prosecutor's office (the Commission approved new hires introduced by the prosecutor earlier in the meeting) so cases that can be resolved quickly receive prompt attention.

- A review of transport agreements and metrics, and an emphasis on counting 'days' in custody rather than dollars to measure progress.

- Temporarily pausing the opioid grant application round to focus staff resources on criminal case processing in the short term.

Commissioners said the county lacks sole control over many judicial steps and is working with the circuit court clerk, magistrates, the sheriff's office and state legislators to identify changes that can reduce county cost exposure. One commissioner urged legislative attention to statutory per‑diem formulas if local process improvements prove insufficient.

The Commission plans follow‑up through the smaller working group; staff and the prosecutor's office are meeting to analyze where the costs originate and to report back to the Commission. The transfer to the regional jail fund was part of budget adjustments approved at the May 20 meeting.

Ending: Commission members said they expect the smaller working group to report monthly and to bring specific recommendations for administrative or statutory changes if local process improvements do not materially reduce jail days.