Commissioners approve raising Porter County inmate-processing fee to $250 on first reading

The Porter County Board of Commissioners voted on first reading July 14 to raise the inmate-processing fee in the county code to $250.

Sheriff's department staff presented the change as an update to chapter 3.34 of the Porter County Municipal Code and said the fee has increased over time from $25 to $50 and later $75. The staff representative said the fee is assessed only upon conviction and that revenue pays for inmate bedding, toiletries, transportation and other inmate needs.

Commissioners discussed the amount. One commissioner said the fee only applies if a defendant is convicted and argued the proposed increase was reasonable given county incarceration costs. Another commissioner urged caution, noting higher fees can be harder to collect. Multiple commissioners suggested higher figures during debate; the motion ultimately adopted raised the fee to $250 and passed on a voice vote.

Sheriff's staff explained that as the fee rises there is a point of diminishing returns: unpaid amounts can become judgments and may not produce net revenue. Commissioners noted the fee is separate from state-mandated fines and costs and applies in addition to other court assessments when defendants enter pleas or are convicted.

The ordinance was advanced on first reading; the transcript indicated commissioners handled the vote by voice (ayes recorded) and did not record individual roll-call votes in the meeting text. The board did not adopt final ordinance language or effective dates at this meeting; the item will return for the next steps required by the county's ordinance process.