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Home My WebLink About2007-043 Unanticipated Jail Costs; Budget Amendment and Appropriations A ORDINANCE NO 2007 - 43 AN ORDINANCE amending the 2007 budget for the City of Yakima, and making appropriations of $312,000 within the 000 — Police Department of the General Fund for expenditure during 2007 to provide for Unanticipated Jail Costs. WHEREAS, the amount of $312,000 must be appropriated within the 000 — Police Department of the General Fund for expenditure during 2007 to provide for Unanticipated Jail Costs, and WHEREAS, at the time of the adoption of the 2007 budget it could not reasonably have been foreseen that the appropriation provided for by this ordinance would be required, and the City Council declares that an emergency exists of the type contemplated by RCW 35 33 091 and that it is in the best interests of the City to make the appropriation herein provided, now, therefore, BE IT ORDAINED BY THE CITY OF YAKIMA. ti Section 1. The amount of $312,000 is hereby appropriated from the Unappropriated Fund Balance in the 000 — Police Department of the General Fund to Account 000 - 031 - 103 - 0000 - 52360 -511 titled Yakima County Jail Costs, as a 2007 appropriation to provide for unanticipated jail costs Section 2. This ordinance is one making an appropriation and shall take effect immediately upon its passage, approval and publication as provided by law and by the City Charter PASSED BY THE CITY COUNCIL, si• ed and approved this 7 day of August, 2007 if j David Edler, Mayor ATTEST City Clerk First Reading July 17, 2007 Publication Date August 10, 2007 Effective Date August 10, 2007 cje 12/1/2007 YAKIMA POLICE DEPARTMENT INTEROFFICE MEMO Date July 12, 2007 To Chief Granato From Lt. Belles Subject Updated 2007Jail Cost Projections (Based upon January through May Expenditures) During the period of January through May of 2007, the total number of YPD misdemeanant bed - nights in all facilities was 18,350 (fractionalized) This figure was 1,214, or 7 1% higher than the preceding year Rising billings during the month of May accounted for the entire increase, bed numbers havmg remained stable through April. This does not necessarily correlate with the actual number of prisoners in custody at that time however Bed nights for which the Yakima County Department of Corrections (YCDOC) billed the City of Yakima rose 34 3% above those for the first five months of 2006 Much of this increase was related to the manner in which YCDOC submits billings, rather than the actual beds used during the month of May YCDOC bills for bed nights only after a prisoner is released This is true even if that release occurs months after all City of Yakima misdemeanor sentencing has been satisfied. As an example, 417 days ($27,284 plus medical costs) for which the City was billed at the end of May, were days actually served during 2006 An additional 1803 days ($90,816 plus medical costs) were the result of days served from January through April of 2007, rather than dunng the month of May Only 674 days ($44,100 plus medical costs) for which the City was billed were associated with days served during May 2007 Such billing cycles make it extremely difficult to determine actual incarceration costs at any particular time In contrast, billmgs from the Wapato, Toppemsh and Sunnyside Jails come on a monthly basis and reflect charges incurred during the past month. This allows for accurate tracking of costs with a minimal time delay, enabling a more efficient management of pnsoner populations and up to date accounting. In addition to delayed billing, medical costs incurred at the YCDOC facility are much higher proportionate to the percentage of YPD prisoners housed there than they are at any other facility While the Yakima City Jail houses 50 7 % of YPD misdemeanant prisoners, out of facility medical expenses have been held to $6,130 for the first five months of the year, or 3 9% of the total YCDOC, which housed 43% of YPD misdemeanant prisoners, generated 96 1% of all out of facility medical expenses for a total of $1 52,765 during this same penod. Out of facility medical costs per bed -night for the penod under review were YPD 66 cents (total housing cost per day $52.27) WPD 5 cents (total housing cost per day $40 05) TPD 0 (total housing cost per day $39 92) SPD 0 (total housing cost per day $38 75) YCDOC $20.12 (total housing cost per day $84.61) A comparison of bed usage at the various facilities from January through May of 2006 and 2007 is as follows 2006 2007 % +/- YPD 10283 9298 -9 6% YCDOC* 5880* 7898* +34 3% SPD 437 88 -79 9% TPD 142 244 +71 8% WPD 394 822 +108 6% Combined Totals 17,136 +* 18,350* + 7 1% (Figures rounded to the nearest 1 /10 %, * = Fractionalized) YCDOC billings to the City of Yakima rose by $177,206, or 36 1% Cost projections based upon the first five months of the year are Yakima City Jail $1,166,426 (budgeted for $1,211,407) YCDOC $1,603,885 (budgeted for $1,288,000) Lower Valley Jails $110,580 (budgeted for $70,000) Total Projection $2,880,891 (budgeted for $2,569,407) The YCDOC billmg for the month of May does appear to be a significant anomaly, as no past billing from that facility approaches the number of bed nights reflected in this billing cycle As a result, smaller numbers of bed nights in upcoming billing cycles can reasonable be expected. While this should reduce the rate of YCDOC cost mcreases in the near term, the ongoing cycle of rising costs at that facility will continue 2008 bed rates of $71 25 per night have already been proposed, representing a base pnce increase of 8 9% prior to the inclusion of medical costs Conclusions and Recommendations: While the increased cost of housing prisoners at the YCDOC facility will likely be somewhat less in future months than it was during the month on May, an average of the first five months of operational expenses results in total cost projections of about $2 881 million, or $312,000 above the $2 569 million currently budgeted for combined jail operations As a result, the Police Department is recommending that Council approve an appropriation to cover these added costs in the amount of $312,000 This additional cost is eligible to be funded by the 0 3% Criminal Justice Sales Tax, and between existing reserves and other savings identified in the 2007 budget (such as the vacant 3 /4 time Court Commissioner), this source should be adequate If approved, the amended 2007 budget for all jail operations would be $2,881,407 In light of the proposed 8 9% cost increases at the Yakima County Jail for the 2008 operating year, it will be necessary to add another $290,000 to the 2007 amended budget for 2008 operations at the YCDOC facility (assuming a similar number of bed nights used and comparable medical costs as those charged for 2007) Our staff is continuing to manage the jail bed nights to minimize total costs, and review cost containment options relative to the jail budget BUSINESS OF THE CITY COUNCIL YAKIMA, WASHINGTON AGENDA STATEMENT Item No 2- 2- For Meeting Of August 7, 2007 ITEM TITLE. An Ordinance Amending the 2007 Budget and Making Appropriations in the 000 - General Fund, Police Department to provide for Unanticipated Jail and Costs SUBMITTED BY Sam Granato, Police Chief Cindy Epperson, Financial Services Manager CONTACT PERSON/TELEPHONE. Sam Granato - 575 -6211 Gary Belles - 575 -6220 SUMMARY EXPLANATION Upon analysis of the May 2007 bill for jail costs from Yakima County, and review of year -to- date costs in comparison from May 2006 to May 2007, this single line item in the Police Budget is experiencing an increase of 36% When the year -to -date cost is extrapolated out for the entire year, the estimate of total costs in 2007 is about $312,000 more than the 2007 budgeted amount ($1.288 million budgeted vs. $1 6 million estimated.) As these costs are escalating beyond the rate of inflation, it is appropriate to use the 0 3% Criminal Justice sales tax for this purpose Therefore, the attached appropriation adds $312,000 to the service unit used to account for the Criminal Justice Sales Tax in the Police Department budget of General Fund It should be noted that there are currently no additional /new revenues to cover this cost —this will be funded by existing General Fund 'reserves generated from the 0 3% Criminal Justice Sales Tax. Resolution Ordinance X Other (Specify) Contract Mail to (name and address) Phone. Funding Source General Fund- unappropriated fun balance APPROVED FOR SUBMITTAL. � �� =o � City Manager STAFF RECOMMENDATION: Read the attached ordinance by title only at the July 17, 2007 Council Meeting. Pass ordinance after second reading at the August 7, 2007 Council Meeting BOARD /COMMISSION RECOMMENDATION. The Public Safety Committee has been briefed on the need for this appropriation at their July 12, 2007 meeting. COUNCIL ACTION