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Page County to consider outsourcing inmate debt collection as new jail nears completion
Summary
Sheriff and county staff reported the new jail is nearing finish work and 911 operations have moved into the new center; the sheriff proposed outsourcing inmate room-and-board and medical debt collections to a vendor that would retain 40% and remit 60% to the county, and asked the board to consider a contract next week and raising the inmate per-diem from $50 to $80.
Sheriff Charles McCollum and representatives from the Iowa State Sheriffs and Deputies Association presented a proposal to outsource collection of inmate room‑and‑board and medical bills to a private vendor and provided a construction update on the county jail and 911 center.
Charles McCollum explained the county currently charges inmates $50 per day for room and board and described difficulty collecting those amounts through the courts. A presenter from the Sheriffs association said the vendor model would allow counties to retain 60% of collections while the vendor keeps 40%, perform garnishments and payment plans, and send monthly remittance reports to the county. “They will do all of the garnishments… Once we turn it over, we do the initial bill when the inmate leaves our facility… then it goes to the collections, and they handle it from there,” the association representative said. The presenter added there is no upfront cost to the county.
The board agreed to consider a contract at next week’s meeting and to consider raising the daily inmate charge to $80, which the presenters said is standard in comparable jails.
Separately, Chris (jail project lead) updated supervisors on facility construction: epoxy flooring and many interior finishes are complete in the non‑detention areas; electricians are installing lighting in day rooms and dorms; punch‑list work by architects and engineers is scheduled for the first week of August. Tony Shockford, chief jailer, described moving 911 operations temporarily into a disaster recovery vehicle during transition and said administrative phone‑line forwarding issues remain under resolution with the county’s voice provider.
What happens next: The sheriff asked the board to place a collection‑contract item on the agenda next week for formal consideration. Construction and punch‑list work will continue with inspections and final touches before occupancy steps proceed.
