EAGLE RIVER – The future of the Keweenaw County jail was the only topic of discussion during a special informational meeting Thursday of the Keweenaw County Board of Commissioners.

Sheriff Ron Lahti and Undersheriff Rick Olson spoke to the board about the history of the jail and the costs to run it.

About 20 people were in attendance at the meeting.

Board of Commissioners Chairman Don Piche said the county has financial concerns due to increasing costs and loss of revenue.

“We are trying to plan for the future,” he said.

There are other options regarding potential jail prisoners, including contracting with neighboring counties for use of their jails, Piche said.

“This is what we are looking at,” he said.

Piche said due to the financial situation at the Keweenaw Mountain Lodge, the county is unable to get any grants, so costs, such as patrol cars have to be paid for by the county.

“That has to come out of the general fund,” he said.

There is now about $400,000 in the county’s general fund, and the average costs per month for the county are $130,000, Piche said.

As of 2015, the average cost per day to run the jail is $467, but the actual cost depends on the number of prisoners. Piche said due to the current court policy of rehabilitating alcohol and drug offenders rather than incarcerating them, the number of prisoners in the jail is declining, which does mean a loss of revenue. However, there are still costs to keep the jail open. The jail has a capacity of eight prisoners.

Because of the increasing costs and loss of revenue, Piche said the board of commissioners are looking at alternatives.

“Is it feasible to have a jail?” he asked.

Lahti said the jail was built in 1886. In 1992, there was a possibility it might be condemned, but after talking with the board of commissioners, it was decided to renovate it.

“We had some grant money available,” he said.

With the grant, the old jail was gutted and a new one was constructed, Lahti said.

Over the following years, Lahti said other renovations were made to the jail building, including constructing an office for the sheriff. Previously, the sheriff had an office in the county building next door.

Although the Michigan Department of Corrections has concerns about the jail kitchen, Lahti said the jail conforms to state specifications.

“The jail is 100 percent compliant,” he said.

If the board decides to close the jail, Lahti said he would like to at least keep the ability to have a 72-hour lockup for prisoners waiting to make bond. If the jail was a lockup only, Lahti estimates the county would save about $121,000 if prisoners were transported to other county jails.

Lahti said he’s contacted the sheriff’s in Baraga, Houghton and Ontonagon counties about taking Keweenaw County prisoners to their jails. He was told Houghton County has no room, and the cost per prisoner at the other two jails ranged from $35 to $40 per day.

Olson said the number of prisoners at the jail each year is relatively low.

“We book on average 40 to 50 inmates a year,” he said.

Piche asked Lahti if closing the jail would allow more deputies to patrol the county.

“It does free up deputies,” he said.

However, Lahti said it’s a source of pride for him that calls will be responded to no matter what.

“We do respond to calls whether it’s 3 or 4 in the morning,” he said.

Commissioner Randy Eckloff asked Lahti if the jail was closed, would it be possible it may be needed in the future. Lahti said that did happen in Baraga County, and it turned out they couldn’t use their old jail.

“You may have to build a new jail,” he said.

After Lahti spoke, one audience member asked what the cost per day would be if the jail were made a lockup only, and Lahti said he estimated it would cost between $5,000 and $10,000 per year.

After the meeting, Piche said the commissioners will discuss the jail situation at their March 16 regular meeting.