Several Hamilton County Commissioners on Wednesday had questions about why Silverdale is slated to receive more beds, and about the reasons why Silverdale is taking in more inmates.
The resolution, numbered 1220-11, reads:
“A Resolution approving the purchase and delivery of two hundred stackable beds from Bob
Barker Company from the Omnia Partners Public Sector Purchasing Cooperative (formerly U.S.
Communities) amounting to $44,000.00 for the Hamilton County Sheriff’s Office for the
Silverdale Detention Center, and authorizing the County Mayor to sign any contracts necessary
to implement this Resolution.”
Commissioner David Sharpe asked if the beds were replacements or were additional beds.
Ron Bernard of the Sheriff's Office told the commissioner the beds are additional mattresses, and are stackable bunks.
“Earlier this week, we were at about 1,250,” Mr. Bernard said. He said capacity for the Silverdale jail is around 1,100.
Commissioner Sharpe asked where the new beds would be placed, and Mr. Bernard said he would have to find out that information.
“So what you’re telling me is that we’re going to be out of certifiable numbers once we go to 1,250?” asked Commissioner Sharpe. “Is there going to be any liability issues when we go over certified numbers? Does this increase liability?”
Attorney Rheubin Taylor said there is always liability regarding the jail, and he could discuss that topic in a legal meeting. Commissioner Sharpe also wondered why the jail population has crept back up to normal numbers after Silverdale’s population declined at the start of COVID.
“The first priority is that we maintain the safest environment possible in our community,” Commissioner Sharpe said. “I’m interested in this topic specifically, because what if we were able to reduce our population and maintain our level of safety we expect in our community. What is happening now in regard to public safety that is requiring us to increase capacity and spend additional taxpayer dollars?”
Mr. Bernard said that while he could provide information on what charges inmates are being booked for, whether or not people are incarcerated is actually up to the judges and the District Attorney’s office.
“We reduced the number of people in the jail, and what I want to know is if the crime in Hamilton County went up,” asked Commissioner Warren Mackey said. “I’ve continued to be concerned about the trajectory of what it costs to house these prisoners, and those numbers keep going up. On some level, you start to wonder if you build these jails, will they come. Apparently they will, and I want to do something to mitigate against the growth in the jail population.”
He, too, wanted information and data about the kinds of crimes that went up and down when people were housed in the jail, versus when the jail’s population was lower. Commissioner Sharpe also brought up that adding 200 or so people into the jail is what he called a “$20,000 daily and reoccurring expense. These beds cost us $20,000 in perpetuity.”
He said, “If we don’t know specifically who we are putting into these beds and why we are putting them in there, how can we know if they improve public safety? Is that an effective use of taxpayer dollars, or is there a more effective use of that money? $20,000 a day can go a long way in a lot of different areas.”
When it came time to vote, neither Commissioners Mackey nor Sharpe voted to approve the resolution, which passed.