The Adobe Flash Player is required to view this multimedia interactive. Get it here.

County weighs Resolution contract, payments as budget gets tighter

Lakota to discuss open enrollment proposal
Updated 4 min. ago
Beach Waterpark sued for failure to deliver
Updated 8 min. ago
Coroner called to Caesar Creek Lake where boater fell overboard
Updated 22 min. ago
Road closing for railroad repairs
11:51 a.m.
Worker falls 20 feet from utility pole
11:14 a.m.
> More headlines

By Josh Sweigart, Staff Writer 8:07 PM Monday, June 8, 2009

HAMILTON — With Butler County’s budget roughly $7 million in the red, county officials are trying to figure out if they can get back any of the roughly $382,285 lost in a 2007 deal that was supposed to save money.

This is just one issue being hashed out in closed-door negotiations between the county prosecutor’s office and the Millikin and Fitton Law Firm, which is representing Resolutions, Community Solutions.

In the 2007 deal, then-county administrator Derek Conklin agreed for the county to take over utility payments at the Resolutions minimum-security jail in exchange for Resolutions dropping their per-prisoner boarding rate. Commissioners say they were never apprised of the full deal, which cost roughly $1.4 million in utilities and lost the county money.

It’s still unclear who is responsible for the utility payments. County officials say Resolutions put the utilities back in their name in April, then switched it back to the county this month. Resolutions officials say the utilities are currently in both entities’ names. Hamilton utilities would not release the billing details Monday, June 8, citing privacy concerns. Conklin could not be reached for comment.

This is also just one factor in the county’s decision to re-bid the contract with Resolutions, which is worth more than $5 million a year.

Sheriff Richard K. Jones made the surprise decision to close the Resolutions jail Thursday, June 4, to give commissioners more leeway in their negotiations, he said. This caused the night-time relocation of roughly 300 prisoners, and the opening of the county-owned Court Street jail, which had been closed for more than a year.

Jones did not cite the utilities as an issue, but Chief Deputy Anthony Dwyer said it was part of the sheriff’s calculation along with all other parts of the Resolutions contract.

In addition to owning part of the jail, Hamilton-based Resolutions provides services at all the county jails such as food service, maintenance, counseling, supplies and running the commissary.

“We provide everything in the jails except security and medical,” said Resolutions Vice President Steve Best. The company employs roughly 150 people in the county, he said.

In exchange, they are paid $14.41 for every county prisoner up to 500, $13.21 for the next 400 prisoners and $12.79 each for every inmate over 900. With 1,040 inmates in the county’s jails in April, the county’s May bill for Resolutions was $428,490.

Commission President Donald Dixon said the present contract with Resolutions is nearly 20 years old and has ballooned from the original plan to provide a 70-bed drug and alcohol treatment program.

“It’s clear that we should be doing competitive bidding. It’s clear we should know what we’re paying for each service they’re providing,” Dixon said. “The goal is to get the best, lowest price for our taxpayers to provide those services.”

The contract may yet go to Resolutions, he and other commissioners said. “At no time is anyone dissatisfied with the work Resolutions has done,” said Commissioner Gregory Jolivette.

“We’ve had a great, 20-year relationship with Butler County,” said Resolutions President Jean Glowka. But she wouldn’t comment on whether that means they will lower their rates or take over utilities.

“I can’t answer any of that. Right now we’re in negotiations with the county,” she said.

Share this article