Housing federal immigration detainees will raise Scott County's prisoner health care costs

BENTON, Mo. -- Holding federal detainees for Immigration and Customs Enforcement would be extra revenue for Scott County but will also mean a price hike for medical services.

Scott County Sheriff Rick Walter presented county commissioners with two options for extending the health care contract for the county's jail inmates during the regular County Commission meeting Tuesday.

The three-year contract with Health Professionals Ltd. of Peoria, Ill., was awarded on Oct. 1, 2005, according to Presiding Commissioner Jamie Burger.

"We're going to rebid it in January," Burger said. "We want to bid that on the calendar year instead of from October to October. We want that bid to be like our fiscal year."

If the contract is extended for three months as it is now with the same number of nursing hours, the monthly rate of $7,836.41 will remain the same.

"The only possible change at all in the three-month extension is the nursing hours provided," Burger said. "Right now we have 25 hours per week."

If the county is approved to hold ICE prisoners, the county will be required to raise the nursing hours to 40 hours per week, Burger said.

County officials found the price presented to the county for the additional hours is not acceptable, however.

"I'm not satisfied with that price," Walter said. "It seems like a lot."

County officials said they intend to negotiate a better price with the provider.

In other business Tuesday, commissioners looked over a new safety access ladder installed on the roof of the north wing of the courthouse to provide access to the roof over the third floor.

Built and installed by Cory Heisserer of Heisserer's Welding Service of Kelso, the final cost for the ladder was $2,200. Burger said $50 for labor and materials for the addition of a base plate support was added to the original bid of $2,150.

The county maintenance supervisor, Don Jones, must have access to the roof to remove leaves that clog up the roof's drains.

The ladder is another part of the county's efforts to raise safety awareness and eliminate injuries in the workplace, Burger said.

Before the addition of the safety access ladder, Jones would have to use an extension ladder to reach a ledge near the roof, then climb over a four-foot tall parapet.

"Coming back was the problem," Burger said. "When you came back across you had to land on that ledge with no hand supports and hope your ladder hadn't blown down."

The installation of the ladder began Friday and was completed Tuesday, according to commissioners. "He's been working on it in his shop for awhile," Burger said.