Commissioners weigh higher jail medical, hygiene and food costs in draft budget

County staff told commissioners during a budget workshop that jail medical and hygiene contracts are likely to increase and the draft budget includes a precautionary rise in those lines to avoid mid‑year overages.

Staff reported the current jail medical vendor is charging a per‑unit or per‑service price that staff expect to increase when the contract renews in November. The staff estimate led them to build a larger medical and hygiene allocation in the draft budget so the county will not exceed its appropriations if the vendor raises fees. Staff said the current contract rate is roughly 92 cents and that the vendor might seek $1.30 under a new contract, a change that would raise the county’s costs substantially.

The commissioners discussed the risk of issuing an RFP and getting a higher price from a new vendor; staff said that a procurement effort could yield a vendor quote that exceeds the county’s present budget and that the county could face a budget amendment in November to cover the difference. Staff also flagged other recurring jail costs where the county typically runs over: repairs and maintenance, utilities for the entire complex, training and physicals, jail supplies and inmate food.

Commissioners and staff discussed tradeoffs: trimming other departmental spending versus preserving jail medical and hygiene services. Staff recommended programming higher provisional amounts for medical and hygiene now and revisiting any necessary budget amendments after vendor quotes are received or the contract is renegotiated.

No formal action was taken; commissioners asked staff to keep the medical and hygiene line items at the proposed levels while searching for cost savings elsewhere in the draft budget.