Serving the High Plains
Serving the High Plains
The Guadalupe County Commission on Dec. 16 approved an agreement with De Baca County to reserve up to 24 beds for Guadalupe's adult inmates.
Guadalupe County Sheriff Lorenzo Mata said the agreement applies to the new jail that De Baca is building. Construction is expected to be complete in January or February.
“It's going to be my main area” for housing county inmates, Mata told the commissioners.
Mata and County Manager Rose Fernandez told commissioners the contract was initially for a full year, but De Baca County pulled it back to a six-month agreement because of the uncertainty of operating costs at a startup facility.
“Eventually,” Mata injected, “we're going to have to (address) the issue of our own facility.”
He also referred to the city of Santa Rosa's need for jail space, saying this arrangement is “crucial” to the current situation.
Both Santa Rosa and Guadalupe County have been having to transport their inmates to jails in Curry, Roosevelt and Colfax counties since the state's takeover of the Guadalupe County Correctional Facility.
According to the agreement with De Baca County, Guadalupe County will be charged $95 per day per inmate, with the county billed monthly. The inmates can be minimum- and medium-security risks, but maximum-security inmates will be considered on a case-by-case approach.