Budget board recommends $800,000 reallocation to cover detainee transportation amid dispute with jail trust

The Budget Evaluation Team recommended reallocating $800,000 from the Criminal Justice Authority (CJA) line item to a newly created general-government inmate-transportation line to ensure monthly payments for detainee transportation ordered by the court.

Brandon Holmes, introduced in roll call as representing the sheriff's office, told the board the jail has stopped paying under the existing memorandum of understanding. He told the meeting: "Oddly enough, the only thing they've decided not to follow the MOU is the payment piece." Board members debated alternatives including holding funds in reserve, invoicing general government monthly, or adjusting the CJA invoice. The Chair summarized a pragmatic option: "We can pull the whole 800, Pay whoever does it monthly or quarterly, and it's just there to handle whichever way it goes down the road."

The motion recommended that the budget board reduce the CJA line by $800,000 and create a new general-government line for inmate transportation, directing monthly payments to the entity providing the service until the court case is resolved. Members discussed mechanics including purchase orders, encumbrances, and how to account for previously received invoices so the county would not pay twice for the same service.

The board recorded the motion, second and a voice vote; the chair called for members in favor and recorded "Aye" with one abstention. The BET will forward the recommendation to the budget board with language that the transfer is "to pay the entity responsible for transportation of detainees to and from the Oklahoma County Detention Center to court per a judicial order."