Tulsa Mayor Makes Final Offer On Jail Fees
In the continuing tussle between the city of Tulsa and the Tulsa County Jail, Mayor Kathy Taylor has made a “final offer”.
The city wants to keep up to 35 inmates in the jail daily at no cost in consideration for the $17.5 million that is generated annually within the city limits by the permanent jail sales tax, according to a copy of the three-page offer obtained through the state’s Open Records Act. That’s based on a rate of one inmate per $500,000. Under the previous contract, which expired at the end of November, the city could keep up to 116 inmates in the jail daily at no cost. The settlement offer specifies that if the average daily number of municipal inmates over a one-year period exceeds 35, the city would pay the county the same daily rate per inmate as the Oklahoma Department of Corrections. That rate is set by the state Legislature and is $27. The proposed agreement would be for a 10-year term.
The county has locked in on a $54.13 daily fee for all municipal inmates to help cover increased costs. Tulsa is the only municipality that uses the jail … Commissioner John Smaligo declined to discuss the offer at length. “We’re going to review it over the weekend and possibly have a counterproposal ready by Monday,” he said.
Also part of the proposed settlement, the city would agree to assume full responsibility for medical expenses for any municipal inmates not covered by the contract between the county and its health care provider. In addition, the county could continue to use at no charge portions of the Tulsa Police/Municipal Courts building as a holding area for inmates being transferred to and from the Tulsa County Courthouse and the city facility that the county uses as the Juvenile Detention Center. The county also could continue to use the Lakeside Home at the token rate of $1 per year …
Since the jail opened its doors in 1998, the city has paid no direct fee to house inmates there. Instead, it has provided the use of certain facilities and services to the county free of charge. City officials argue that it was made clear at the time the jail tax was passed by voters in 1995 that the city would not be required to pay a direct fee. They also maintain that Tulsans pay the majority of the county sales taxes dedicated to jail operations and maintenance.
Read the entire article at Tulsa World.