After months of negotiations, officials of Dallas County and the City of Dallas have reached an agreement over the use of the Lew Sterrett Justice Center.
According to The Dallas Morning News, the discussions began after the City of Dallas started withholding payments to Dallas County. The City has contracted with the County since 1978 to hold and process suspects detained for crimes.
A 2009 city audit shows both parties agreed to a contract update in 1997, which included a clause stating the City and County would review how jail costs were calculated every three years and make changes if necessary. However, no update was ever made to the 1997 contract. The audit did not give a reason as to why the reviews never happened.
Per the audit, the City apparently should have paid around $2.2 million less than it did between the 2006 and 2008 fiscal years.
City records also showed that the City of Dallas had paid more for jail services each year since 2016 despite a decrease in the number of people being booked in that same period.
In 2021, council members voted to stop paying the City’s monthly fee to hold inmates at the jail until the 1997 contract terms were updated. As of April 2022, the City owed the County $10.2 million in withheld payments.
News reports suggest the negotiations between both parties have now ended after Dallas County commissioners unanimously voted on May 17 to approve a new deal with the City of Dallas.
The new contract had been in the works for the past two years and includes a new method of calculating how much the City pays for jail services.
Under the new deal, the City will pay the County a percentage of the jail’s projected costs, calculated based on the number of people the City has detained there. The County is obligated to reimburse the City if the actual cost is less than projected.
The contract also stipulates the punishment for any missed payments.
Terms of the new contract revealed that the County will prioritize booking offenders brought by Dallas over other cities.
The County must also hold every offender brought by the City, including those apprehended during mass arrests.
Under the new contract, the County reserves the right to refuse to take custody of offenders brought in by Dallas police, marshalls, or fire staff if the arrested individual needs medical attention.
However, the County will be responsible for getting a detainee medical care once taken into custody.