Negotiations between Gadsden Mayor Craig Ford, Etowah County Sheriff Jonathan Horton and county commission for the housing of detainees at Etowah County Jail are still ongoing after a proposed agreement was rejected by the City of Gadsden.
The rejection came after the contract was sent to Ford on Monday. Within the agreement was a 12 month notice clause that Ford said he did not agree upon. The agreement is a three part contract, the city council, sheriff’s office and the county commission all have to be on the same page to approve it, and with the 12 month notice clause any of the three could decide to pull out of the contract at any time.
The contract is a three-year agreement for $30 a day per inmate with an additional year that would include a cost of living wage adjustment, according to Tena King, director of city services.
In October, Gadsden decided to no longer house inmates in the Etowah County Jail, which was at the time charging the city $50 a night per inmate, according to council member Jason Wilson. The cost was disproportionate to Rainbow City and Southside, who were paying $35 a night per inmate, he said. Municipalities with below 5,000 citizens are not required to pay Etowah to house their inmates, so Rainbow City, Southside and Gadsden are the only cities in Etowah who pay the fee.
Since October, Gadsden inmates have been transported to Calhoun County Jail where the city is charged $33.50 per night per inmate and $16.75 for inmates held less than 12 hours. Wilson said in an October 2024 interview with ABC 33/40 the city will save an estimated $114,000.
The County Commission called a special hearing June 24 to approve the agreement, according to Commissioner Craig Inzer who attended the city council meeting in favor of the agreement.
Inzer said one of his main concerns is public safety and the resources being used for the transportation of inmates to and from Calhoun County.
“I know there’s 8 to 5 travel and after hours travel,” Inzer said. “I think Gadsden being back in the Etowah County Jail, I think it’s good for the citizens, I think it’s good for law enforcement. I think it’s good for public safety.”
Ford said he would not approve the contract sent over because of the clause that he and the sheriff, Jonathan Horton, did not agree upon. He said he does not believe it was done by the commission, but that it was language used from the previous agreement copied over.
“If we get into a contract, then a new commission comes in after the next elections and they say, ‘hey, we want out,” Ford said. “… Then we get out of the contract within 15 months, we don’t have anywhere to go, when we have somewhere to go right now.”
Inzer said the clause was there to protect all parties.
“After the commission meeting we had this morning is honestly why I’m here,” Inzer said. “I just kind of feel like being a representation of Gadsden, is that, it’s been in the contract. I think the good faith is moving down to $30 from $35.”
If the contract is approved, Etowah will drop the price for all three cities to $30.
Frustrations were expressed at the County Commission meeting earlier that same day when the announcement was made that the contract was not going to be signed by the mayor, which postponed the transfer of inmates to Etowah County.
At the time of the meeting, Inzer said he texted Kent Black, Gadsden city council president, who said he had no knowledge of the opposition.
“I told him in the text that we’ve had this clause since 2018, since I was a commissioner,” Inzer said. “No need in taking it out now. We’ve adopted it.”
Since the agreement was not signed, the commission must wait until their next regularly scheduled meeting on July 22, or call another special hearing next week to make any further decisions, according to Shane Ellison, chief administrative officer for the commission.
“I think it is completely evident that the sheriff and this commission has worked extremely hard to make sure that the citizens of Etowah County and the city of Gadsden are safe,” Commissioner Jamie Grant said. “…If this contract is not signed by the city of Gadsden and the council, it shows you that they are not willing to work and get this thing done.”
The commission believes it has offered the city a fair deal and has been accommodating.
During the city council meeting, Ford said he did not want to deal with this agreement for another four years.
“It’s been the biggest pain in my tail to have to deal with this,” Ford said. “It puts a lot of friends at odds with each other. The commissioners, they have to protect the county, and it’s my job to protect the city.”
Etowah expected anyone arrested to be transported to the jail starting Monday night, according to Ford, until Gadsden City Attorney, Jack Lee Roberts, called Monday night to cancel the transports to wait for a decision to be made regarding the 12 month notice.
“We’ve already got a good contract right now,” Ford said. “We thank Calhoun County for what they’re doing because they are working with us, and we don’t want to leave there and go here and be left holding dry. Then we are at the mercy of whoever. Anyone can charge $100 dollars a day.”
Ford asked the council to approve the contract he submitted without the clause of the 12 month notice.
Due to Ford’s rejection of the contract the council did not vote on the matter. If an agreement is reached between the parties, the vote will be held at a later date.
