OLIVIA -- Operating a new 64-bed jail will require that Renville County expand its two-person staff by 10 positions and increase expenditures for jail operations significantly.
Yet the bottom line for taxpayers is minimal.
Projected costs for operating the new jail in 2008 show a net effect of raising the levy by an additional $10,045.
The projected operation costs were presented to Tuesday the Renville County Board of Commissioners by Sheriff Jerry Agre and county staff members Karrie Jansen and Dan Lippert.
They estimate that a new Renville County Jail will see an average usage of 40 beds per day in 2008, and will realize revenue from boarding an average of 12 out-of-county prisoners per day.
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They project overall operations costs at $908,961. They believe a new facility will also realize $261,900 in revenues from boarding other prisoners.
That would leave a net bill to county taxpayers of $647,061 for jail operations.
In contrast, the county would see jail expenditures of $658,016 in 2008 if it continues to operate its existing jail and continues to pay the costs of boarding the majority of its prisoners in out-of-county facilities. It would only see revenues of $21,000; consequently, the net bill to taxpayers would be $637,016.
The projections are not without controversy. Commissioner Paul Setzepfandt of Bird Island charged that the analysis was "skewed." He pointed out that while the projections for operations show only a small net increase in costs, taxpayers must also fund $475,000 in annual debt retirement for the construction of the new jail and law enforcement center and the Health and Human Services facility.
County Administrator Bill Wells said that Setzepfandt was correct in pointing out that the levy for the construction debt will be $475,000 annually over a 20-year debt retirement schedule. But he pointed out that the county recently retired debt that required an annual levy of $500,000; thus, taxpayers will not see a change in their taxes for paying the debt.
Setzepfandt also questioned the assumption that the county will be able to obtain revenue by boarding an average of 12 prisoners from other counties per day. He said that the opening of the Renville County Jail could create a surplus of available jail beds in the region, and that the county might not see the revenue it expects.
Agre said he believes that the need for jail beds in the region will only grow, despite the opening of the new facility. He also believes that the cost for boarding inmates at out-of-county facilities will rise from the current range of $55 to $65 per day to $75. In the case of some prisoners, it's already as much as $100 per day, he said.
The sheriff also said that the county will gain greater control over medical costs through operation of its own jail. A county jail also offers opportunities to offer chemical dependency and other services that could reduce recidivism.
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Commissioner John Stahl of Olivia said that a larger, in-county jail would offer another benefit to the county. The money Renville County now sends to out-of-county facilities for staff, medical and other services will be kept in the county. It will mean new jobs and more revenue for businesses in the county, he said.
