Mississippi County government to sue Alexander County for juvenile housing costs

CHARLESTON, Mo. -- Mississippi County will need to file a small claims suit against Alexander County in Illinois to collect a debt.

During the regular County Commission meeting Thursday, Presiding Commissioner Jim Blumenberg said he recently discussed with Kevin Hess, superintendent of the county's juvenile facility, $8,500 owed to Mississippi County for boarding Alexander County juvenile offenders.

Blumenberg recalled that a couple of years ago when the same county got behind on paying their juvenile offender boarding bill, Alexander County officials advised Mississippi County to file a suit so the bill could be paid from a "set-aside fund" that couldn't be accessed without a lawsuit being filed. He said it appears Mississippi County will need to file a suit again to get paid.

Blumenberg said he is not concerned and that Mississippi County's juvenile detention center should continue to board Alexander County juvenile offenders as they have plenty of room in the juvenile detention center.

"We've had trouble before but they've always paid us," he said. "They'll pay us eventually."

In 2008, revenues for the juvenile detention center from boarding juveniles from other counties were projected at $150,000 but only $130,000 was actually collected, according to Blumenberg.

Revenue in previous years was higher as Becky Tinsley, former superintendent of the county's juvenile facility, "did a great job as far as promoting it," Blumenberg said.

He said to keep revenue from the facility up, the county needs to promote the juvenile facility and let other counties in the area know they have room to board their juvenile offenders.