Sheriff Fred Brown, joined by Deputy Director Commissioner John Lanza reported that the shared services contract with Warren County to house #HunterdonCounty inmates, which was approved one year ago has been a success. This contract has resulted in over 765,000 dollars in savings for the County.
Hunterdon County Sheriff Fred W. Brown reported, at the February 16th Board of County
Commissioners meeting, that the shared services contract with Warren County to house county inmates approved one year ago has been successful and has resulted in significant cost savings for the County.
Sheriff Brown reported, “The first year of the change over from Somerset to Warren County for housing inmates has achieved over $765,000 in savings for the County of Hunterdon.
While some of the savings was due to the pandemic with fewer number of inmates on average, the cost reductions were realized in every budget category from monthly inmate charges to inmate medical expenses and medical security costs.”
Hunterdon County’s expenditure for jail consolidation in 2020 was $1,136,225.98 versus
$1,901,372.02 for 2019.
The Sheriff also reported, “There have been no complaints from anyone regarding the handling of inmates. There have also been no COVID-19 positive tests for any inmates.”
Sheriff Brown told the Board, “The move to consolidation with Somerset County six years ago was predicted to result in costs savings and it did. When the decision was made to move to a shared service with Warren County last year, there was an analysis that the move would result in even greater savings for the taxpayers of Hunterdon County, and it has.”
Commissioner John E. Lanza, the Board’s liaison for Public Safety, stated, “As a member of the Freeholder Board that worked with the Sheriff on consolidation of jail services in 2015, I can tell you change in government is hard.
That change required leadership, which we saw from Sheriff Brown and then Freeholder John King. Leadership in ideas and leadership in implementation, as the Sheriff and the Board kept looking for more ways to save for the taxpayers. And the consolidation plan continues to achieve that savings.”
During 2020 the average number of Hunterdon County inmates housed at the Warren County Correctional facility was 31 per month. Presently 44 Hunterdon inmates are being held at the Warren facility