Washington County Jail appropriation leads to discussion on costs to house inmates
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MARIETTA - Washington County Commissioners on Thursday approved the sheriff’s office request for additional appropriations in the jail fund, leading to a discussion on jail capacity and costs.
for the housing of inmates at the Monroe County Jail at the Washington County Commissioners meeting Thursday morning, leading to discussion on jail capacity and costs. Muskingum Township Trustee President, Jay Huck, asks Commissioners to consider paying for the repair of Masonic Park Lane following the Devola Sewer Project.
The sheriff's office requested $10,600 for the cost of holding inmates at the Monroe County Jail in August. Sheriff Mark Warden stated one inmate is there because he has an ongoing lawsuit against the county and the other was moved due to an incident that required him to be housed in a different location and the county jail did not have another option. Warden also cited capacity issues at the jail, which has 112 inmates with a capacity for 124, set by the Bureau of Adult Detention housing standards. Warden said while he doesn't want to house inmates in Monroe County, laws prohibit housing more inmates than the jail’s capacity.
Commissioner Greg Nohe, a former Washington County Jail administrator, said the expense of housing inmates at different facilities "is a cost to the county that we can't sustain."
Nohe also stated that he housed inmates over the 124-person capacity while he was serving as administrator.
"You were breaking the law,” Warden said, adding the sheriff at the time “didn't give you the ability to (move inmates to different facilities)."
Warden stated that according to Ohio Revised Code 341.12 and attorney general's opinion 2019-025 the sheriff is required to move inmates off-site once capacity has been reached.
Warden said he wants to build on to the jail for additional capacity but the county wouldn't be financially able to support it. The estimate for additions to the jail was $7.5 million, according to Warden, and would have cost the county $400,000 a year for the next 30 years.
"I just don't think we can do that," Warden said.
He added that the addition to the jail would address multiple issues, including offering more options to place inmates.
Commissioner Charlie Schilling asked about the possibility of bringing in additional federal inmates to house with the one held there now. That would grant "a stable stream of funds" now that the jail population is below capacity, he said.
"From a historical perspective, we were housing anywhere from 15 to 20 federal inmates," Schilling said, "(which could) amount to $800,000 to $900,000 a year in revenue."
Once the population of the jail has steadied, Warden said he would be open to housing more federal inmates if there is capacity. Warden said he prioritizes housing local individuals and given the possible fluctuation in capacity in the next month, he is waiting for the population number to steady before requesting to house additional federal inmates.
"The last thing that I'll do as your sheriff is deny any local going in that jail," Warden said. "I don't want to get into that habit. I think that's just bad business."
"Well, bad business in a sense, but considering business, if there’s a guaranteed stream of funding coming from the feds, and (Washington County) is paying ($75) per day to Monroe County, that would outweigh the cost from Monroe County, correct?" Schilling said.
Chief Deputy Troy Hawkins said agreed that while there is a cost difference – receiving $100 a day for federal inmates versus a cost of $75 to house someone in Monroe County – there are additional transportation costs for inmates to travel to court hearings and any pre-trial meetings that are taken into consideration.
"When a jail starts running over capacity in regards to inmate population, it creates a safety hazard for our staff,” Warden said. “My priority is the safety of our staff and also humane treatment of our inmates. That's why ORC 341.12 is in place."
In other business, Jay Huck, president of the Muskingum Township Trustees, asked the commissioners to consider paying for surface repairs to Masonic Park Lane, from heavy traffic use during the Devola Sewer Project as the road leads to the county gravel pit. Huck said he met with county Engineer Roger Wright to discuss potential chip and seal repairs.
Commissioners approved the appropriation of $208,920 for the Washington County Board of Developmental Disabilities for the purchase of capital housing in Marietta, and an additional appropriation for the sheriff's concealed carry fund of $9,700 for ammunition. Commissioners also approved the appropriation of $472,000 to the Behavioral Health Levy Fund for contract services, as well as the transfer of $12,297.04 to relief allowances for the Washington County Veterans Service Commission.
Sophie Wheeler can be reached at swheeler@newsandsentinel.com.