By Sharyn L. Decker
Lewis County Sirens news reporter
CHEHALIS – The Lewis County Jail could see increased revenue of approximately $440,000 annually under a new agreement to house prisoners from Mason County.
The facility in Chehalis operated by the Lewis County Sheriff’s Office has long provided bed space for other local law enforcement agencies. It currently has contracts also with Thurston County, the city of Olympia and the state Department of Corrections.
The agreement provides for 20 to 25 inmates from the Mason County Sheriff’s Office at any given time, at a rate of $60.38 per day. It was finalized on Monday when the Lewis County Board of Commissioners signed off on it.
The Lewis County Jail, expanded in 2005, is constructed to hold as many as 356 inmates, according to Jail Administrator Kevin Hanson. However, it’s currently funded for staffing to manage no more than 240 inmates.
The one-year contract with Mason County contains a provision for annual renewal upon agreement of both parties.
The city of Centralia earlier this month decided to use the jail in Yakima for some of its prisoners, deciding to send them individuals who are sentenced to more than two weeks.
Centralia Police Chief Carl Nielsen told the city council he could save about $10,000 a year, given an increase in the fee charged by the Lewis County Jail.