It’s budget season, and officials in Lee County may be looking to cut costs — on meals for inmates at the county jail.
WGEM reports that a potential cut in the Lee County Sheriff’s Office budget could reduce costs from $3.50 per meal to $1.65 per meal. Sheriff Stacy Weber says he’s contemplating a change in vendors. Currently, they purchase meals from the maximum-security Iowa State Penitentiary.
Weber says changing vendors to the Correctional Food Service in Des Moines could reduce costs by more than half and save tax-payers up to $813,000 over five-years.
Weber says the number of inmates — and costs associated with holding them continues to rise in Lee County. He will take the idea to the Lee County Board of Supervisors before a final decision is made.