Koochiching County commissioners Tuesday agreed to send letters to Gov. Mark Dayton and area legislators outlining their concerns about a proposal that is in the process of becoming a rule that could cost the county an extra $90,000.

The letter will ask that the rule process and implementation of a review involved in determining the needed ratio of jail staff to jail inmates be delayed until 2014 to allow counties impacted to review options.

Now, state rules for jails require a minimum of one jailer/dispatcher to 15 offenders. A proposed change to the rule would lower the ratio to one jailer/dispatcher to five offenders. 

The proposed change comes from state and local jail officials who have concerns that staff may be too busy with the dispatch role to be able to run the jail, which involves doing well-being checks, handing out medications, and serving meals, and vice versa.

The Koochiching County Jail now has one staff member to dispatch calls and handle the jail from 10 p.m. to 7 a.m.

County officials estimate the rule change would cost $90,000 each year for two additional jail staff.

“We can’t afford this,” said Commissioner Wade Pavleck.

The additional jail costs, along with a loss of $181,000 program aid anticipated for 2013, could mean a levy increase for county taxpayers, county officials said in August.

The letter to Dayton and area legislators would highlight eight concerns by the county board. Among those concerns are: a financial hardship to the county and taxpayers; no data substantiating the need for change; lengthy review process with no notification of review to county; Koochiching provides services for all law enforcement agencies in Borderland; additional money if the rule is approved on top of loss of program aid; and no information about when the rule is proposed for implementation making it difficult for the county to plan ahead.

Commissioners said Tuesday that they should begin to research placing inmates at facilities outside Koochiching County if the price is right.

They pointed to several jail facilities recently constructed in other counties that need more prisoners to be cost effective.

“We need more research to understand all the costs with sending people out,” said Board Chairman Brian McBride.

Pavleck said discussions he’s had with Department of Corrections Commissioner Tom Roy indicate that the process to review the rule began five or six years ago.

“The commissioner made it clear this was not presented to us correctly,” said Pavleck, adding that Roy appears to understand the concerns for Koochiching and is concerned.

Roy, said Pavleck, said the board should attempt to get exclusions in the rule for certain criteria.