Council expected to OK jail deal for city prisoners

The agreement will be used as a model by the county, the mayor says.
By DAVID SKOLNICK
CITY HALL REPORTER
YOUNGSTOWN -- City officials say they are satisfied with a tentative agreement to board their misdemeanor prisoners in the Mahoning County jail.
At a council finance committee meeting Tuesday, council members asked questions about the proposal, mostly related to its cost and why no other community in the county has to pay to house its misdemeanor prisoners.
Under the proposal, the county would house the first 71 city misdemeanor prisoners beginning May 1 with the city's only costs about 3 a day for meals for each inmate, and medical costs not covered by the county's health insurance. Beginning with the 72nd city misdemeanor inmate and until the city reaches its ceiling of 221 inmates, the city would pay a flat fee of 68.84 per prisoner per day.
What would change
The city's current agreement with the county has it paying 68.84 a day to house inmates at the jail charged with or convicted of violating city ordinances. The proposal calls for the city to pay to house inmates at the jail and the county misdemeanant jail, expected to reopen in August after being closed for two years, for not only city ordinance violators but those charged with state misdemeanors.
The proposal in front of council today authorizes the board of control to spend about 125,000 annually for the county to house city prisoners. The city currently pays about 50,000 annually to the county to house prisoners charged with and convicted of violating city ordinances.
Some councilmen were concerned about the medical costs. But city Law Director Iris Torres Guglucello and Anthony Farris, the deputy law director who was heavily involved in the jail negotiations, said the county's medical insurance policy covers catastrophic illnesses and injuries, so that won't be a major expense.
Also, city officials are committed to keeping the number of city inmates at the county jail at 71, Farris said.
"We are confident we'd rarely, if ever, exceed that 71 number," he said.
Judge Elizabeth Kobly said at Tuesday's meeting that she strongly urges council to approve the agreement.
"I'm dying for you guys to pass this," she said Tuesday. "I am so thrilled to be able to incarcerate those who deserve to be incarcerated."
What's likely
The tentative agreement with the city will probably be used by the county as a model when it negotiates with other communities about paying to house their prisoners at the jail, Mayor Jay Williams said. Regardless of other agreements, the city is guaranteed the use of up to 221 beds at the jail, he said.
County commissioners approved the agreement Feb. 7. City council was to do so that same day but didn't have enough members present to do so via emergency measure. The agreement received a first reading at that meeting.
Enough members are expected at today's council meeting.
skolnick@vindy.com