Officials fret over jail costs, growing inmate population

FAYETTEVILLE — Cities must pay more to house inmates at the Washington County Detention Center or the county must come up with ways to cover increasing costs, justices of the peace say.

“The jail is something you cannot do without,” said Justice of the Peace Tom Lundstrum, a Republican representing the northwestern part of the county. “The public is going to have to pay for it, really, whether they want to or not.”

Justices of the peace are looking at ways to handle a growing inmate population, a crowded detention center and a shortfall in money to cover costs. The quarter-cent sales tax earmarked for the jail is not covering all costs.

About $2 million from the county’s general fund was moved to pay for jail costs last year.

Meanwhile, crowding at the jail is not likely to stop soon, Sheriff Tim Helder told justices of the peace last week.

The 710-bed jail reached its highest daily inmate population of 709 last year, and the region’s population is forecast to continue growing, Helder said. On top of that, Springdale plans to close its jail.

The city jail is the last one in Washington County. The county is state mandated to house inmates.

Justices of the peace need to makes plans, Helder said.

Any option is likely to take a year or more, Helder said. For example, getting a new bond for construction and building an addition to the jail would take at least until the end of 2019, he said. And, a sales tax increase would require a countywide vote, he said.

Voters approved a quarter-cent sales tax to operate the jail in 2002. The tax brought in nearly $10 million last year, online county records show.

Justices of the peace said during the Quorum Court Jail and Law Enforcement committee meeting last week they need ideas to address the jail’s problems. That includes charging new fees.

Madison County, the state and U.S. Marshal’s Service pay daily holding fees to house inmates at the detention center, Helder said.

Fayetteville pays a one-time booking fee for each person taken to the jail, Helder said. The amount was negotiated between the city and county and increased from $55 to $62 in 2017, Sheriff’s Office officials said.

Justice of the Peace Harvey Bowman, a Republican representing northern Washington County, brought up the idea to change the fees and asked the Sheriff’s Office for revenue estimates, Helder and spokeswoman Kelly Cantrell said.

Bowman proposed replacing Fayetteville’s booking fee with a daily holding fee.

Fayetteville paid $210,800 in booking fees in 2017. The city takes about 3,400 people to the detention center each year, according to Fayetteville city officials.

Changing to a daily holding fee would cost the city about $255,000 each year.

Smaller cities do not pay any fee for the county to hold their prisoners. Fees would cost all the cities thousands. For instance, Prairie Grove would pay $29,000 per year, and Elm Springs would pay $26,400, according to the Sheriff’s Office projections.

“It definitely would take money from somewhere else,” Prairie Grove Mayor Sonny Hudson said.

The county has not contacted mayors about the possible fee changes. The Quorum Court must decide whether to contact them for a meeting, County Attorney Brian Lester said in email Friday.

Elm Springs Police Chief Jason Hiatt said most of the people his agency arrests are people who live outside his city. Crime is a countywide problem that should not single out cities for a fee, he said.

“Crime affects everybody on an equal level,” Hiatt said. “The cities, in general, are already paying, and the county has a constitutional obligation to house prisoners. That’s the role of government.”