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Bonner County Justice Services proposes raising contracted juvenile bed fees to $250, $225 for Boundary County
Summary
Justice Services officials proposed raising contract bed fees from $125/day to $250/day for out-of-state and tribal partners and to $225/day for neighboring Boundary County; commissioners debated whether the Boundary discount is justified and asked staff to circulate contracts to partners for signatures.
The director of Bonner County Justice Services told commissioners at a special meeting Aug. 5 that the county’s contracted-bed fee for juveniles—currently $125 per day—has lagged behind other Idaho facilities and recommended raising rates to better recover costs.
"So the current rate that we're charged is $125 a day for all 3 of those contracts," the director said, explaining a statewide survey showed Bonner County was "way below what everybody else was charging." She proposed $250 per day for Lincoln County, Mont., and the Kootenai Tribe and sought guidance on a lower in‑state rate for Boundary County.
Commissioners and staff discussed reasons for different rates. One line of argument presented by staff was that in‑state counties contribute, via state tax revenue, to funds that support juvenile services and therefore could receive a reduced rate; out‑of‑state entities and sovereign tribal governments were treated like non‑Idaho jurisdictions for rate purposes. Staff also noted that the facility is staffed to a baseline capacity (16 residents) and that costs only increase materially beyond that level because additional staffing or overtime would be required.
Board members pressed for a clear justification for any discounted rate. A commissioner warned that insurance and other fixed costs borne by Bonner County make large discounts difficult to accept without explicit in‑kind offsets or measurable collaboration benefits. In the discussion the board informally coalesced around $250/day for non‑Idaho/tribal placements and $225/day for Boundary County as a practical compromise; the director said she would circulate the draft contracts to partner boards and then return finalized documents for formal approval.
The director emphasized the county retains control over bed acceptance and can refuse placements that would push staffing beyond safe ratios. She cited one recent case in which the county denied a placement for an especially violent youth and the youth was routed to Missoula instead. No formal motion or roll‑call vote occurred at the special meeting; the director will gather partner signatures and schedule the items for a future business meeting if the partners sign the drafts.
