AUGUSTA, W.Va. — The state Regional Jail Authority voted Thursday to keep the daily rate counties pay for inmates in the system at $48.25, the same it’s been since 2013.
The RJA is caught in a vicious financial cycle with more money needed to run the system while fearing raising the per diem would place more counties in a difficult spot to pay their bills on time.
“This absolutely does place a strain (on the system) but on the flip side, we must be mindful of what an increased per diem would do to the law-abiding counties. The vast majority of counties that pay their debts when they are due,” state Department of Military Affairs and Public Safety spokesman Larry Messina told MetroNews following Thursday’s decision.
The counties currently owe the jail authority $13.4 million with $5.7 million considered past due, Messina said.
“The board discussed finding a mechanism to assist in the collection of the past-due per diems,” Messina said. “Secretary (Jeff) Sandy and his leadership team at DMAPS are exploring options to achieve that.”
Messina said they are working with lawmakers and aren’t ruling anything out.
The Regional Jail Authority also continues to fall short on the money it needs to make its construction bond payments. The funds come from court fines and fees but those haven’t brought in as much in recent years. Messina said the RJA will fall short of its bond payments by $3 million this fiscal year. According to state law, per diem funds cannot be used for bond payments.
In a September 2016 order, the state Supreme Court re-affirmed counties must pay their regional jail bills. The case came out of Webster County.
Part of the unanimous Court opinion read:
“Therefore, we hold that the (Webster County) Commission must pay the debt of approximately $1.31 million it owed to the Regional Jail at the time that this proceeding was filed, in addition to payment of the debt that accrued while this case was pending. We further require the Regional Jail to work out a payment plan with the Commission that allows the Commission to pay the past debt in installments over the course of a reasonable period of time.”
Messina said Thursday Webster County continues to fall behind.
“The amount owed by Webster County has actually grown since it lost that recent Supreme Court case,” Messina said.
The authority held its meeting Thursday at the Potomac Highlands Regional Jail in Augusta.