Monroe County probation renegotiates electronic monitoring rates, board approves contract

The Monroe County Board of Commissioners on Jan. 15 approved a revised contract with BI Incorporated for electronic monitoring used by the county probation department, citing negotiated reductions in daily usage rates and replacement fees that staff said will save the county money.

Chief Probation Officer Linda Brady told commissioners the revised contract reduces several costs. "They reduced the price ... to $3.95 per unit per day," Brady said about the Soberlink in-home alcohol detection units, and noted the GPS locate unit rate was reduced "from $3.20 per unit per day to $2.80 per unit per day." She also said replacement costs for devices were lowered (sober-link replacements reduced from $800 to $600 and GPS replacement from $2,099 to $1,560 per unit as stated).

Brady said the revised agreement runs through May 3, 2027, unless either party terminates, replacing the prior auto-renewing arrangement. The board approved the contract as a not-to-exceed amount of $160,000 (budgeted), with commissioners recording a 2-0 vote.

Why it matters: Electronic monitoring is a significant non-personnel cost for the probation department. The changes affect per-day client costs and device-replacement liabilities and could reduce annual operating expenditures depending on program size and device usage.

What remains unclear: Brady said staff do not yet know the total dollar savings for the county over time and will "have to keep a close eye on that." The board approved the contract and budget authority; staff will monitor actual savings as the program runs.

The contract includes reduced per-day charges and lower replacement costs for both Soberlink and GPS devices; commissioners praised staff for pursuing the savings and asked staff to track realized savings and report back.