beds. The City of Kansas City requires a facility of about 250 to 300 beds.
The question will be if the County’s cost of service model can compete with
the price the smaller municipalities can receive from Johnson County,
Missouri.
Tony Miller, County Legislator, said the smaller municipalities are not
handing out long sentences like may be imposed at a County facility. If a
city has a major criminal case, it is likely to be referred to the County
prosecutor and not be handled by the city municipal court.
Theresa Cass Galvin, County Legislator, said the Legislature had
previously been advised that a unit cost per day to house an inmate is
$110. Costs have escalated since that report. Ms. Galvin requested an
updated unit cost. Mr. Schulte said JCDC Partners are working on
determining the updated unit cost.
Ronald E. Finley, County Legislator, asked about the next step in this
process. Troy Schulte said if the County wants to pursue a joint facility,
JCDC Partners recommends either Option 2 – multiple structures with
independent facilities on one site or Option 3 – shared services with
independent facilities sharing services. He said the County Executive has
a meeting scheduled with representatives of KCMO. None of the options
presented will be a cost savings for the County, but could be a cost
savings for the City of Kansas City. Some options may provide a future
cost savings, but no option will provide a savings on the guaranteed
maximum price (GMP). Mr. Schulte said JCDC and JE Dunn – Axiom will
need direction from the Legislature.
Jalen Anderson, County Legislator, said since the GMP is still unknown, it
is difficult to make any decision. He appreciates the thorough work JCDC
Partners presented, but cautions that they should not get ahead of
themselves until the GMP has been presented.
5
COMMUNICATIONS WITH AND REPORTS OF THE COUNTY EXECUTIVE
Frank White, Jr., County Executive, invited Michele Newman, Director of
Parks + Rec, to speak regarding the success of the Christmas in the Sky
event. Ms. Newman said thousands of people attended the 25th
anniversary of Christmas in the Sky on Wednesday night to kick off the
35th anniversary of Christmas in the Park season. She said these events
are a gift to the residents of Jackson County and have become a holiday
tradition for many families.
Scott Burnett, County Legislator, asked the County Executive for an
update on COVID-19. Caleb Clifford, Chief of Staff, said the
Administration is working with the Health Department for an update next
week.