Rush County approves deal to house federal inmates, sets transport rate

Rush County officials voted to proceed with a negotiated arrangement to house federal inmates under terms recently discussed with the U.S. Marshals Service.

The board moved and approved the action after a staff update that said negotiations produced a per-inmate housing rate of $91 per day and a transport-officer rate of $33.04. "We were able to negotiate price of $91 for an inmate," Speaker 4 reported, and added the transport rate "was negotiated for $33.04." The speaker compared the negotiated rate to state averages and previous county requests during the discussion.

Why it matters: accepting federal inmates can bring revenue to the county but also requires the county to meet transport and housing obligations and to finalize a contract. Officials said the Marshals Service will prepare the contract and the county will review it before full execution.

What happened next: Speaker 3 moved to approve moving forward with the Marshals arrangement; the motion was seconded and carried. The board did not announce a final executed contract at the meeting and said county staff will review the incoming draft before final signature.