DeKalb County Sheriff Patrick Ray had some sobering numbers for the County Commission last week, as he showed how much the county is spending on housing inmates outside of the county. The sheriff’s warnings are nothing new, as he has cautioned of the jail issue for years. Now, those expenses are growing with no clear answers in the foreseeable future.
During Commission’s December 19, Meeting of the Whole, Sheriff Ray gave the county commission an update on the jail housing expense to date.
“For the last two years we have been very lucky. We have either stayed with that or if we didn’t, I have pulled money from somewhere else to cover it, so we would not have to come back for more money to come out of the general fund,” said Sheriff Ray.
According to Sheriff Ray, expenditures for housing inmates out of the county have exceeded the $60,000 budgeted for the year 2024-25, with the total cost from July 1, 2024 to December 17, 2024 at $129,304. That number will only increase, as more December bills come in. Expenses include $3,086 for interpreters, heating and air services, and the fire alarm system, as well as community probation ankle monitoring fees.
Sheriff Ray said that those costs do not include inmate transportation costs to and from facilities, time for any deputies during transportation, and vehicles wear and tear.
Medical costs are also eating into the budget, with $89,990 paid out so far from the $100,000 budgeted for medical and dental services this fiscal year. According to Sheriff Ray as of Thursday, December 19, $228, 653 are outstanding, without any reductions, with many more medical bills to come. Sheriff Ray said that up to 40 percent of those bills may be reduced.
“I was notified Wednesday from a medical company that we have an inmate in jail that will be getting $2,300 worth of medication every month. It’s a high dollar med for a certain disease he has and there’s probably no way of him getting out anytime soon,” Ray told the commission.
Since July 1, 2024 the county has been paying Robertson, Smith, Cannon, Putnam, and Bedford counties for housing local prisoners and although in the past a few counties have kept inmates at no charge, Sheriff Ray said he will no longer ask any county to continue doing that.
The TCI Board of Control voted to continue certification of the DeKalb County Jail for another year under a plan of action. The facility still has only 52 certifiable beds for male inmates. The county has voted to pursue a proposed jail only, though plans and a location have yet to be decided.
