MORGANTOWN — Up until late last month, the Monongalia County Commission was anticipating an increase of at least $250,000 on its regional jail bill based on a new per-day rate charged by the state for inmates housed in the Doddridge County facility.
Now it looks as if the county could actually see a savings on that line item.
A May 30 letter from the West Virginia Department of Homeland Security explained the passage of House Bill 3552 during the most recent legislative session created a prorated system for implementing the new per-diem rates.
The county was expecting its daily charge per inmate to jump from $48.25 to $54.48 come July 1.
Under the prorated system, the state gives each county a set number of inmate days by multiplying the county’s 2020 Census population number by .52. For Monongalia County, that number is 55,027.
For each inmate day up to 80% of that number (44,022), the county’s rate will be $43.58, or 80% of the new daily charge. For each day between 44,022 and 55,027, the county will be charged the full $54.48. For each day over 55,027, the county will be charged $65.38 or 120% of the new rate.
Monongalia County Commissioner Sean Sikora said using current year numbers, that formula would result in a $180,000 savings for the county.
“The good news for the public, it’s about, for us, as long as everything stays the same and we have the same amount of inmate days … it’s actually about a five percent decrease,” he said. “As long as we stay where we’re at or less, it’s actually a savings to the county.”
While the commissioners said the change is a welcome one, they admitted it came unexpectedly.
“I don’t know if this is a way to try to force counties to try to keep their days down or what. Because if we keep our days down it represents a savings to us. If we stay below 80%, it really represents a savings,” Sikora said.
County Administrator Rennetta McClure said the commission, working in conjunction with the prosecuting attorney’s office and the magistrate court, has always emphasized getting people out of the regional jail and into court.
She said the addition of a fifth magistrate on July 1 and a sixth following the 2024 election will further aid that cause.
“When people are just sitting in jail waiting for a hearing, we’re paying for that time,” McClure said.
The county had paid $2.2 million in jail bills as of May and anticipates a total expenditure of $2.4 million through the June 30 end of the fiscal year.
