WINONA -- Questions about inmate expenses outside the daily housing fee Montgomery County is paying the Carroll Montgomery Regional Correctional Facility to house its inmates were the topic of discussion at Monday’s meeting of the Montgomery County Board of Supervisors.
The board discussed three invoices sent to the county from the Carroll Montgomery Regional Correctional Facility for drug store items.
According to County Attorney Alan D. Lancaster, the most recent agreement between Carroll and Montgomery counties states that Montgomery County will pay $25 per day to house prisoners at the Vaiden facility, the same rate paid by Carroll County. In addition, the contract requires Montgomery County to exclusively use the Carroll Montgomery Regional Correctional Facility to house all county prisoners, except female prisoners unless the facility becomes equipped to house female inmates.
Montgomery County is responsible for all transportation of inmates to and from the facility and must pay for all physical, mental, or emergency health care needed for its inmates while in custody at the jail.
However, the correctional facility invoiced Montgomery County $70.63 for non-emergency medical items and toiletries that included antiseptic mouthwash, cotton swabs, and sunscreen.
The invoice did not designate to which inmate the items were meant for or why the items were needed, but Supervisor Ron Wood said none of the items seemed like medical essentials.
The board voted not to pay the three invoices charging for the drug store item, but it did vote to pay for Serve Pro of Kosciusko $650 to clean a cell following the actions of an unruly Montgomery County inmate being housed at the facility. The measure was passed following a Wood motion and a Supervisor Janet Harper second.
In other county business:
The board voted to send Caitlyn Reddit and Ciera Thomas, two dispatchers at the Montgomery County Emergency Operations Center, to basic communications class.
