By Brian Wright | Maricopa Monitor
The Pinal County Board of Supervisors issued an ultimatum to the federal government on Wednesday — either work with us, or we’re done.
Supervisors voted to give the Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency — a division of Homeland Security — six days to accept the county’s proposed changes to the existing prisoner contract or present an alternative offer. Otherwise, the county will send out a notice of termination letter at the end of the business day April 15, supervisors agreed.
The contract between the two entities requires that the county provide 100 days notice, in writing, of its intent to terminate the contract.
The letter would indicate the county’s intention to end negotiations with ICE related to a restructuring of its contract for space in the Pinal County Adult Detention Center.
The contract, which was negotiated by former County Manager Stan Griffis and signed in August 2006, allowed immigrant detainees to be held at the jail. It also includes an agreement for a massive jail expansion.
The contract was a lemon from the start, many county officials say.
From 2009 to 2013, the contract resulted in the county losing more than $12 million, not including an estimated $3.5 million in annual debt service payments on the jail expansion.
Board Chairman Anthony Smith of Maricopa said the county loses more than $55,000 a week on the contract. On Wednesday, he said he couldn’t ask the county taxpayers to foot the bill any longer.
ICE officials agreed to renegotiate the contract last May, but progress has been minimal, because of delays on the part of the feds. Supervisors sent a letter to ICE on Feb. 21 with proposed per diem rates for detainees, but it proved a fruitless effort, they say.
