An inmate housing agreement between the sheriff, the county commission and the City of Blackshear is finally a done deal.
A called meeting Monday morning finally settled the over two-year old impasse — and even then, there was some doubt about its passage.
Commissioners tabled a proposed agreement at their regular meeting Tuesday night, March 7, after Sheriff Ramsey Bennett said he had concerns about a paragraph included in the proposal.
Commissioners and the city had tentatively agreed about two weeks ago for Blackshear to house inmates at the jail for $45 for the first day and a $35.86 daily rate for each additional day. The city will also have a two hour grace period for inmates booked at midnight. Both governments can re-negotiate the agreement as needed.
The final proposal was to be approved at the March 7 meeting.
However, Sheriff Bennett said he had a problem with the way one of the clauses is worded regarding indictable offenses. The Sheriff said the wording could allow Blackshear to put someone in jail on an indictable offense and then drop the charges and avoid paying the housing fees. He said he had asked the state attorney general’s office for clarification and would see what changes would be needed.
Later, Bennett and his attorney, Rick Currie of Waycross, found an additional issue with the wording regarding the transportation of inmates to and from court.
Second district commissioner Graham Raley asked that proposed changes be submitted by 5 p.m. Sunday, March 12, so that proposed changes could be agreed upon prior to the vote at the meeting.
Bennett and Currie proposed changes at the meeting Monday morning.
“We asked that changes be submitted before the meeting and no objections were raised,” Raley said, addressing the sheriff.
Bennett said his objections were raised at the regular meeting last week.
“I have the feeling some of the commissioners want to push (the agreement) on me whether I like it or not,” Bennett said. “You do what you have to do, but I am here to tell you that in its present form, I will not sign the agreement.”
Currie and Blackshear City Attorney Adam Ferrell conferred outside the meeting room. Ferrell then conferred with Blackshear Mayor Keith Brooks, district councilman Corey Lesseig and Blackshear Police Chief Chris Wright, who were all present at the meeting.
All signed off on the changes the sheriff asked for.
Mayor Brooks said the agreement was essentially the same as the city had already agreed to.
“I don’t see where it has changed a whole lot,” he said.
Brooks asked the sheriff if agreements were in place with all the counties who house inmates at the Pierce County Jail. Bennett said Pierce County routinely houses inmates from Clinch, Charlton, Atkinson and Wayne Counties. He said he did not have agreements with those counties, because municipal agreements are separate from county government agreements. He said he had a housing agreement in place with Patterson to accept their prisoners.
The inmate housing issue has been debated since December, 2020 and was the subject of a lawsuit by the city against Sheriff Bennett in early 2021. A judge ruled the sheriff was bound by law to take the city’s inmates, but left open the definitions and costs to be worked out between the two governments.
Sheriff Bennett said the judge’s order — and the law — requires that he take city inmates charged with indictable offenses. However, the sheriff said he was under no obligation to accept inmates charged with municipal violations.
The sheriff had initially been asking for $62 per day, which he says at the time was closer to the per day cost of housing an inmate. He says the county’s costs are lower since the jail now has more beds after an expansion last year.
Sheriff Bennett pointed out the old agreement he canceled in 2020 did not allow for a change in the rate without it being terminated and re-negotiated.
Blackshear officials have alleged the disagreement is fall out from the 2020 sheriff’s election. Major Robby Boatright of the Blackshear Police Department unsuccessfully challenged Bennett in that election.
Bennett did not respond to those allegations.
