Even after a meeting between the county and city attorneys, there is still no agreement for the city of Blytheville to pay money it owes to Mississippi County for incarcerating prisoners.
County Attorney Dan Ritchey told the Quorum Court Tuesday night that he and Sheriff James Sanders had met with Blytheville Mayor Barrett Harrison, City Attorney Mike Bearden and Police Chief Ross Thompson in an effort to settle the matter.
According to county records, Blytheville owes nearly $26,000 to the county for housing prisoners. In an attempt to settle the matter, the court passed an ordinance last year setting fees for city prisoners housed at the county, at a reduced rate for cities who signed a year-long contract,
The City of Blytheville has not yet signed a contract with the county, resulting in the city being charged $55 per day for inmates. Cities with a contract pay only $40 per day.
Ritchey said the main issue of contention is the county's rule of what constitutes an inmate day. Under the ordinance passed last year, an inmate day is from 12:01 a.m. until 12 p.m. or any portion of that time period. So if a city officer brings an inmate into the county jail at 10 p.m., and the inmate is able to make bond the next morning, the city is charged for two days.
The ordinance was fashioned directly from language in the state law, Ritchey added.
The city contends that it should not pay for an entire day if the inmate is only incarcerated for a few hours. However, no other cities in the county have contested the issue.
State law allows counties to charge the fee because the city receives all moneys that result from the inmates fees and fines.
"The law says that if you collect the fees then you are responsible for the care of that inmate," County Judge Steve McGuire said.
Justice Barry Ball asked if the city of Blytheville had paid all the money owed to the county for 2008. Ritchey said they had not, and that was the amount of money still owed.
"They are calculating the money on an hourly basis," Ritchey said of the city.
Justice Bill Nelson suggested that the county hire an accountant that would be mutually acceptable to both the city and the county to straighten the matter out.
McGuire interjected that the matter had already been settled by the courts and that the last ordinance passed by the court complied with the law.
"An accountant cannot make that decision," McGuire said. "Legislative bodies have to make that decision."
Ritchey told the court that he will continue to work on the issue.
In other business, the court passed an appropriation ordinance allowing for funding for the county Senior Citizens Center and the programs it offers. The county will contribute $53,000 to the senior citizens programs because federal funding has been cut.
Justice John Alan Nelson, chairman of the finance committee, said the center in Blytheville is the second largest in the state and that no services have been cut even though funding has been cut.
"It is my understanding that this money will allow them to continue to operate as they have," Nelson said.
The ordinance also includes a budget for a Historical Preservation grant that will replace 14 windows at the Osceola courthouse. The total grant funds expected are $57,456.
dhilton@blythevillecourier.com