By John McCallum
Managing Editor 

County steps back from booking fee increases

Status quo for now, saving Cheney, others, from 30 percent increase in jail services

 

Last updated 12/28/2018 at 12:59am



Cheney officials believe they’ve dodged a bullet fired their way by Spokane County regarding unexpected increases in booking fees at the county jail — at least for now.

In an Oct. 17 memo, Chief Budget Officer Tonya Wallace informed contracting agencies such as Cheney, Airway Heights and Spokane Valley that a proposed new fee schedule for jail services would be presented at an Oct. 18 meeting. The proposal would do away with the old system and institute a new pay-for-service function.

Under the proposal, agencies using the county jail would be charged $444 per booking, $108.50 per day for housing and $165.50 for transporting jail inmates to court appearances. Based upon 2017 usage, the changes would result to an increase to Cheney of $22,243 — 30 percent.

For Cheney City Administrator Mark Schuller, the amount and the timing was a little unsettling.

“$22,000 increase at the 11th hour?” Schuller said. “That’s a lot for a city like us.”

That 11th hour has apparently been extended. Cheney Municipal Court Commissioner Terri Cooper said the results of a recent meeting between county officials and contracting agencies resulted in an agreement to maintain the jail services status quo through the rest of this year and into 2019, pending future discussions.

That “status quo” is what Cooper termed “settle and adjust.” Under this method, which has been use for the past five years, the county takes all the costs associated with running the jail, along with each contracting agencies’ usage from two years prior, and develops an estimated cost for that agency, which is then agreed to in an annual contract.

Agencies get a monthly bill for jail services. Contracts run Jan. 1 — Dec. 31, after which the county examines how much the agency actually used the jail, and then either bills them for the extra or cuts a check for the contract amount not used.

Cooper said this method was helpful to court budgeting, and allowed agencies to figure out the best way to pass those charges along.

“So basically, all of the costs of running the county jail are borne by the users,” she said.

The proposed new system would change budgeting for agencies since it’s virtually pay as you go. As an example, Cooper said someone who is arrested in Cheney for fourth-degree assault/domestic violence would be transported to the county jail, where they would be booked into the facility at a cost of $444 and housed overnight, $108.50, since the law requires housing until a court appearance.

The law also requires that the individual see a judge within 24 hours of arrest. The next day, the individual would be transported from the jail to the court — an elevator ride billed at $165.50 — where they would either be released or held in custody. If held, they would be transported back down to jail, and Cheney would be charged until police department officers arrive to pick up the individual and return them to Cheney for a local court appearance.

Under settle and adjust, the cost to Cheney for booking, one day housing and transport would have been $136.93 per day. Under the proposed system, it would be $718.

Schuller said he understands the county has budgeting issues, just like everybody else.

“But you can’t solve your issues on the backs of your partners,” he added.

While the status quo is still in effect for the time being, Schuller said the city will begin looking at other alternatives than the jail, possibly reaching out to other cities on the West Plains to see if there is any interest in more local court services, at least for first appearances. Cooper said the court does utilize methods such as electronic monitoring for some offenders, and Lincoln County Jail to house others on a more long-term basis.

The proposal created some backlash for many agencies, both Schuller and Cooper said, some of whom — such as the cities of Spokane and Spokane Valley — saw six-figure increases. Cooper said those agencies likely had a big say at the recent meeting with the county.

“It’s the status quo for now,” she added. “I’m just glad that the cities raise some issues.”

John McCallum can be reached at jmac@cheneyfreepress.com.

Author Bio

John McCallum, Retired editor

John McCallum is an award-winning journalist who retired from Cheney Free Press after more than 20 years. He received 10 Washington Newspaper Publisher Association awards for journalism and photography, including first place awards for Best Investigative, Best News and back-to-back awards in Best Breaking News categories.

 

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