Koochiching should feel no impact

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Metro-area counties say they’ll soon have to pay more to house short-term state prisoners in their county jails, partly due to expected cuts in payments from the state.
In the past year, Koochiching County has not had as many short-term offenders in custody, according to jail administrator Florence Hervey. She said she believes the cuts in reimbursements from the state for prisoners in the county jail are not affecting Koochiching County.
In Washington County, for example, it costs $117.46 daily to feed and house each prisoner, and the state covers $30 of that. But the county estimates that reimbursement for state prisoners will shrink to $10 a day in 2009 — roughly the same reimbursement as previous years, amid rising prison costs.
Washington County Commissioner Dick Stafford said the declining jail funding is worrisome, and he and other commissioners complained about the shift of state expenses to county taxpayers.
‘‘This one is so obvious and flagrant that we’ll hold it up every chance we get,’’ he said.
Washington County records show that the county will need to find $96,000 more to cover the state’s decreased reimbursement in 2009.
‘‘Unfortunately, we all had to do our part to respond to the budget situation and had to look at what areas of our budget could be reduced,’’ said Department of Corrections spokeswoman Shari Burt. ‘‘Public safety is our No. 1 concern, and we’re going to look at where we can reduce our budget that will have the least impact on public safety.’’
State prisoners who have 180 days or less to serve at the time of their sentencing go to jails in the counties where they committed their crimes. Washington County houses an average of 12 state prisoners a day, said Sheriff Bill Hutton.
This year’s reimbursement of $30 a day was a windfall compared with previous years, when counties received less than $10 per prisoner per day.
In Scott County, jail administrator Capt. Bonnie Case said housing offenders costs about $116 a day. Planning for expenses is difficult, she said, because of fluctuating state support and numbers of offenders.
‘‘I don’t plan on much money coming from the state because I think it’s too unpredictable,’’ Case said.
In Ramsey County, the number of state prisoners being housed ranges from 46 to more than 60 in a day, said community corrections director Carol Roberts.
During the first half of 2007, the most recent six-month period for which a reimbursement was received, the state provided $8.92 a day per offender, compared with actual costs of $95 a day, Roberts said. Overall, the prisoners cost the county $908,580 during those six months, she said, with the state paying just $85,404.
For 2008, Roberts said, the county expected a daily reimbursement in the mid-$20 range, but now will see a shortfall, yet to be determined.
‘‘We have to go back to the drawing board,’’ she said.
In Dakota County, the law change means that county taxpayers will pay about 30 percent more per state prisoner in 2009, said David Bellows, chief deputy sheriff.
‘‘This is nothing more than the state shifting the responsibility and the cost of these inmates to us,’’ he said. ‘‘These are their inmates, not ours. But they’re trying to balance their budget, and we have to bear the burden.’’