Columbus City Council approves resolution for amount of pay to house jail inmates
COLUMBUS, Miss. (WCBI) – A difference over payments between the City of Columbus and Lowndes County is one step closer to a resolution.
At a special call meeting this afternoon, the Columbus City Council approved a resolution that will set the amount the city pays to house city inmates at the county jail at 25 dollars a day.
At a joint meeting last week, the council and the Lowndes County Board of Supervisors formed a committee to discuss and resolve that and some other financial agreements between the two boards.
That committee met on Monday and developed a compromise solution for the inmate issue.
An interlocal agreement passed in the previous administration had the city paying 35 dollars a day per inmate, an issue that was originally upheld then later struck down by Attorney General opinions, leaving the amount owed in a political limbo.
“But it was a settlement that was satisfactory to everybody. As I said, at the end of the day, it was never that we didn’t want to pay. It was just some things that we weren’t allowed to pay, so we all worked it out, and we’re moving in the right direction now,” said Columbus Mayor Stephen Jones. “It’s all about communication. Any time you’re willing to sit down and talk, you can come to an agreement on most things, you know. So, thankful that the council and the board were able to meet and talk some things out, and, you know, like I said, put together that committee, and we got it worked out. And, it’s all about communication, and having individuals who are willing to communicate with each other.”
The Board of Supervisors is expected to take up the matter at its next meeting on Monday.
