Chelan shifts to per-night jail costs under new agreement

CHELAN — The City of Chelan will begin paying for jail space based on the number of nights its inmates actually spend behind bars rather than a flat monthly fee under a new agreement approved by the Chelan City Council Aug. 25.

The city currently pays $12,846.78 per month for inmate housing at the Chelan County Regional Justice Center regardless of how many nights Chelan arrestees spend at the jail.

Under the new agreement, the city will pay $213 per inmate night beginning in 2027.

Based on Chelan’s actual jail use during the past three years, city staff is conservatively budgeting for 800 inmate nights in 2027, which would cost $170,400.

City Administrator Laura McAloon said staff expects the city’s actual cost under the new structure to remain roughly comparable to its current expense or potentially decrease.

“We do think it will either stay the same or reduce, but of course that’s dependent on the number of arrests made and the number of nights stayed,” McAloon said.

The agreement had been presented to council members previously by Chelan County Regional Justice Center Director Chris Sharp. City staff brought it back for final approval after attorneys for the city and county had an opportunity to review the agreement.

Medical expenses incurred by Chelan inmates are not included in the $213 daily rate. Because the Chelan County Sheriff’s Office provides law enforcement services to the city, arrests made on the city’s behalf leave Chelan responsible for any resulting inmate medical costs.

Councilmember Cesar Rivera-Vargas asked whether there was a particular time of year when jail use tends to increase.

McAloon said she did not have monthly jail-use figures in front of her, but noted that July had produced the highest number of citations so far this year.

“It simply correlates to when we have an influx of visitors to the community, and sometimes that comes with misbehaving visitors,” McAloon said.

The council unanimously approved the new interlocal agreement with Chelan County.

Andrew Simpson: 509-433-7626 or andrew@ward.media