Jail cost budget overruns for the city of Maple Valley this year are largely due to the volume of inmates.
The city, which is in its first year of a two-year interlocal agreement with Kent for courts and jail services, saw increased costs this year which surpassed expected increases over the low costs under the previous interlocal agreement with Enumclaw.
Under the new agreement Maple Valley pays $220 per day, or $80,300 per year for two guaranteed beds at the Kent jail, whether or not they are used. The city then pays an additional $135 per calendar day for every extra bed.
“Maple Valley’s contracted beds are physically occupied on a very regular basis, they do not have a problem filling the two spots,” wrote Commander Diane McCuistion of the Kent Police Department in an email interview Nov. 14.
The smallest monthly bill for jails from Kent in the first three quarters of 2013 was $7,295 in January when just three extra beds were required. The most expensive month was May at a cost of $21,075, with 103 extra beds.
In the first three quarters of 2013, Maple Valley paid for 478 additional beds at a cost of $64,530.
Those who are doing alternative programs — like electronic monitoring — are also counted as inmates. That means that if one of the two guaranteed spaces that Maple Valley pays for is open an inmate who is electronically monitored, for example, is counted as one of those spaces, or if there are more than two Maple Valley inmates at the jail then those on electronic monitoring are billed as additional inmates.
Maple Valley City Manager David Johnston told The Reporter earlier in November that a higher than anticipated rate of electronic monitoring contributed to driving up costs.
Based on reports provided by the city, 15 inmates were supervised through work release, electronic monitoring, and work crew out of custody through the end of September, with the exclusion of data from May and March which was not available.
“At face value it sounds unfair that a Maple Valley inmate serving on home detention would count as a contracted bed but monitoring of an inmate on home detention is very time consuming and requires consistent location checking as well as alcohol testing up to four time(s) a day, if serving on a DUI,” McCuistion wrote. “If the inmate is participating on the work crew or work release program they occupy a bed — both programs are in-custody programs with the ability to work during the day which requires supervision and scheduling.”
The city spent $83,427 in 2012 on jail costs. In 2013 the budgeted amount for jail costs was $139,000. As of Sept. 30 the city spent $132,870 with a year end estimate of $202,065.
In 2012 Maple Valley spent $237,379 on court costs, according to city documents. In 2013 the budgeted amount for court services was $328,000. As of Sept. 30 the city spent $278,195 with a year end estimate of $403,233.
Under the ILA with Kent, the city pays $14,583.33 per month for two court days, one overflow court day, and one jury day per month. Additionally, if the city has more than 333 cases in any given month the city will pay an additional $4,000. As of the end of September the city had not had more than 333 cases in any month of this year.
One of the additional court costs for the city this year was $55,190 to transfer criminal cases and infractions from the Enumclaw courts to Kent. The city budgeted $25,000 for transfer costs.
“A lot more cases got transferred than was anticipated,” former City Finance Director Tony McCarthy wrote to a city staff member in February.
Johnston said that the cost overruns will be paid for through the city’s general fund reserves.
“That’s a general fund funded service,” Johnston said of the city’s jail costs in a phone interview on Monday. “This years’ over budget is just being part of our general fund. WE have deficit spending anyways so it’s coming out of hte reserves. Adn the same for next year.”
