Mojave County’s local government will have to pay more to keep inmates in the county’s adult detention center next year after a split decision by the county board of directors.
Under Arizona law, counties must recover the costs of incarcerating inmates from local governments by charging reservation and per diem charges in Bullhead City, Lake Havasu City, Kingman, and Colorado City. No. These fees are approved annually by the Mojave County Board of Supervisors to offset the facility’s annual operating costs of $16.36 million. However, while these costs will increase later in the year, some board members do not believe they have increased sufficiently.
Fees for holding prisoners in the Mojave County Jail have risen 46.4 percent this year to more than $107 per day per prisoner, according to county records. The cost so far has been about $760,000.
New costs for bookings and incarceration fell below what was needed this year to recover costs at county jails. $77 compared to the ideal rate of $81.98. To offset costs for the county, the incarceration rate was set at $92 this week, compared to the ideal rate of $107.74 per inmate per day.
Post-pandemic future rates uncertain
Kingman Mayor Ken Watkins has already expressed disappointment with the cost of the new reservations and incarceration, Mojave County Supervisor Gene Bishop said at a meeting of the Mojave County Supervisory Board on Monday.
“Business prices are rising and we have to be able to cover our expenses,” Bishop said.
The county’s traditional formula for calculating these costs limits ingestion in county jails to prevent potential exposure by detention staff and inmates, according to Mojave County Chief Financial Officer Luke Mounian. was distorted during the coronavirus pandemic. The county is now expected to gradually increase local government reservation and accommodation fees to eventually redress the county’s costs.
Bishop said Monday he would be interested in revisiting the issue in six months. Bishop said it could have an impact.
According to a statement by Mojave County Supervisor Buster Johnson last month, the new reservation and accommodation fees charged to the local government still cost Mojave County a $353,000 deficit. Both Johnson and supervisor Ron Gould, who represent the city of Lake Havasu, said this week they are supporting charging local governments for the full cost of holding inmates in county jails. Looked.
The Mojave County Board of Supervisors voted 3 to 2, opposed by Johnson and Gould, to approve the new reservation and per diem incarceration rates.
These costs impact the City of Lake Havasu budget
Incarceration and reservation fees at the Mojave County Jail will also be included in Lake Havasu City’s annual budget for next year. And according to Mayor Cal Sheehy, county tax rates represent a delicate balance for both counties and their local governments.
“We understand the county’s position with rising costs,” Sheehy said Wednesday. “These costs also impact our budget. The city team is working on these costs as the budget process is just beginning.”
These costs have remained fairly stable over the past few years, Sheehy said, and the predictability of county incarceration fees has given local officials peace of mind when setting their own annual budgets.
“It certainly affects our comfort level for what we’re charged,” says Sheehy. “I’m glad they accepted a portion of the total cost of incarceration this year instead of asking us to pay for it all. So that it doesn’t impact city and town budgets across the county too much.” You have to be careful.”
Johnson: Fees Should Be Higher
According to Johnson, the costs of incarcerating inmates in Mojave County must be paid. And if the city is unable to recover these costs through annual dues, those costs are ultimately absorbed by the county itself.
“Right now, we’re donating $140,000,” Johnson said. “We’ve poured millions of dollars into the sheriff’s office and the prison over the past few years, and we know the sheriff will ask for more money at the next budget meeting. If we can’t recover the costs, it will be difficult to do so.”
Johnson said the city of South Lake Havasu has no objections to the new reservation and incarceration rates this year. It may become possible.
“When we built the new prison, we brought up the possibility of having a[privately run]prison facility instead,” Johnson said. It would have saved me money, it would have cost less, I wouldn’t have had to hire a prison officer, but there would have been liability, and in 20 years the prison facilities would be ours, free and transparent. I hope to get it back in front of the board at some point.”
