Representatives of the City of Sheridan and Grant County met recently to discuss jail fees.
According to the Sheridan Headlight newspaper, Grant County is one of the few counties in the state that does not operate its own jail, choosing instead to house its inmates at the Sheridan Detention Center where they reserve 10 beds per day or 300 per month.
For each bed that exceeds that number, the county pays the city $30 for each male inmate and $35 for each female inmate.
Earlier this year, the Sheridan Police Chief approached the Grant County Quorum Court and proposed raising that fee to $40 per inmate, regardless of sex. He cited a 2017 study showing the average cost of housing an inmate was $45 a day.
Mayor Joe Wise told the group that most of the agreements between the city and county involved only a handshake and said if the rates are going to be changed, it should be put in writing and formalized.
County Judge Randy Pruitt said the county currently pays all the operating costs for the district court, something that is traditionally shared between the city and county. Pruitt said the operational costs for the court is around $130,000 and since the county covers all the costs, it saves the City of Sheridan about $65,000 annually.
A suggestion that Wise and Pruitt sit down and negotiate a compromise to present to both the council and quorum court before any final agreement was drafted was approved and the matter was tabled for the time being.
