Caroline County commissioners and staff discussed a proposed regional detention center with representatives from Queen Anne’s County during the Jan. 28 meeting and asked for more detailed operating-cost information before making a commitment.

County staff said capital costs for a new facility have been shared by Queen Anne’s County, but commissioners emphasized the decision depends on long-term operating costs: staffing, medical services and food services were repeatedly identified as the three largest uncertain items. Commissioner Kathleen (last name not specified in the transcript) suggested independent review of operating projections while other commissioners asked county staff — who have municipal budgeting experience — to assemble an operational estimate based on proposed staffing rosters, current contract rates and comparable facilities.

County staff outlined a model for assessing operations: take Queen Anne’s proposed staffing roster and pay scale as a baseline, estimate medical and dietary costs using current county contracts and comparable jurisdictions, and identify contingency items (transportation, treatment plant, overtime exposure). Commissioners and staff agreed no affirmative decision would be made until those operating numbers were available for review.

Why this matters: A regional detention center involves a long-term operational commitment and recurring costs that would replace or augment current county corrections expenses. Commissioners said capital participation alone (county share of construction) is not sufficient to inform a policy decision without reliable projections of annual operating expenditures.

Next steps recorded: staff to request itemized operating estimates from Queen Anne’s County (personnel counts and pay scales, proposed medical and dietary models); county staff offered to build a county-side operating estimate and, if needed, seek outside assistance to validate assumptions. No vote or agreement to join was taken at the meeting.