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Alpena County Commissioners approve of housing Montmorency inmates

ALPENA, Mich. — Montmorency County may be closing their jail and moving the inmates into Alpena County’s newly constructed facility.

Tomorrow morning, county commissioners from Montmorency County will vote on whether or not to close their jail facility. The facility only houses up to 15 inmates, and currently houses nine. On Tuesday afternoon, officials from Alpena County approved of moving forward with a contract if Montmorency chooses to close their facility and move their inmates. They have not begun writing the contract yet, however.

“Until it gets approved by Montmorency, there is not further use trying to do a contract,” Alpena’s Jail AdHoc Committee Chair Bill Peterson said. “Only thing we agreed on today is a ten year contract with a ten year renewal at $250,000 a year for the first three years.”

Alpena County is still in the process of hiring and training corrections officers prior to moving their own inmates into the new facility. They would need to hire more officers should the Montmorency inmates move into the building, as well. There are other details, besides the price and length, that also need to be worked out while the county’s attorneys compose the contract.

“Concerns are the unknowns,” Peterson said. “As far as medical, how much it is going to cost to house up to 15 [inmates]- we have some of the fixed costs- so that will be addressed in the contract when we get to go on with it.”

Montmorency’s corrections officers will be able to apply for the same position in Alpena, but the Sheriff’s office has final discretion over the hires.