Sedgwick County’s day-reporting program could end next summer

Some offenders could lose a get-out-of-jail card by next July.

Sedgwick County funding for a day-reporting program to keep people out of jail could be cut in half in 2016’s recommended budget, potentially signaling the end of the program by next summer.

“If that program shuts down, there’s a possibility we could have a larger number of inmates back into our custody if the judges choose so,” Sedgwick County Sheriff Jeff Easter said.

The county contends that cities like Wichita should pay for programming used by people being charged by municipal courts.

The day-reporting program consists of outpatient substance abuse treatment, drug testing, domestic violence programming and other programs that serve as an alternative to spending time behind bars.

“It’s a program where courts or judges can order the person to a counselor or a probation officer periodically rather than sentence them to jail,” county chief financial officer Chris Chronis said.

The $412.3 million recommended county budget would ask cities to foot the bill for sending people charged through municipal, or city, courts to day reporting. The costs amount to $533,883 in 2016, most of which would fall to the city of Wichita.

It’s part of almost $700,000 in county costs that are being shifted to city budgets, particularly to Wichita.

About 94 percent of day-reporting users were sent there by municipal courts, said county public safety director Marvin Duncan. Three-quarters of those municipal violators are from Wichita.

“Municipal courts are big users of the day-reporting system, yet it’s funded by the general fund from Sedgwick County,” Duncan said.

The county spent $1.07 million in its 2015 budget for the day-reporting program. Under the 2016 recommended budget, the county would pay half of that for day reporting until June 30.

“In the future, if the municipalities wanted to participate in funding this program, it could continue on,” Duncan said.

County contingency funds would help pay for the programming, along with the city money, for the rest of the year.

If the cities didn’t agree to make up for the cut, the program would stop after June 30.

“From the city’s perspective, their choice is to agree to pay that bill or the program is not there,” Chronis said.

Inmate fees

Sedgwick County would save more than $500,000 with the program eliminated or shifted to city budgets. But Chronis said cities would have to pay more in either scenario.

“As a municipal (jail) inmate, the city would have to pay us a fee for housing their inmate,” Chronis said. “So the city is going to pay one way or another.”

City manager Robert Layton said it would cost the city about $400,000 to support day reporting in 2016 if the county’s recommended budget was approved as is.

“The annual cost for the city picking up the entire bill for its offenders that have come through our court system or on city charges would be $800,000,” he said.

He said the city will explore its options and decide what to do by the end of the year.

“Our options, we don’t believe, would increase our total expenditures but would require some change in practices as well as some cuts someplace else,” he said.

Program praised

The day-reporting facility is open six days a week at 703 E. 21st St.

Commissioners praised the program for keeping people out of jail.

“These are municipal court prisoners. We’re not talking felons here,” county Commissioner Karl Peterjohn said.

“It helps people get their lives squared away,” commissioner Dave Unruh added.

Unruh said county staff members suggested the day-reporting program be cut in the 2016 budget.

“That primarily came from our administration and not from commissioners,” he said.

A preliminary budget proposal issued in June by now-retired county manager Bill Buchanan also cut the program’s funding in half.

Unruh said he supports the program but that cities should be open to paying for a program that its courts and judges routinely use.

“If you’re paying the jail (to house inmates), it’s probably logical to think that you pay for the same individual in the day-reporting system,” he said.

Jail overcrowding

If the program were to end, some offenders who qualify for day reporting would have to be sent to jails in neighboring counties because of overcrowding at Sedgwick County’s jail, Easter said.

He estimated it would cost about $894,250 annually to house 70 day-reporting offenders in facilities outside the county at average daily rates per inmate. That would not include transportation costs.

Easter said he’ll continue to work with the commissioners regarding the impact of ending day reporting.

“I don’t get involved in the other issues between the city and the county, but if it affects sheriff operations, then I have to be a part of that conversation,” Easter said.

This story was originally published July 28, 2015 at 8:34 PM with the headline "Sedgwick County’s day-reporting program could end next summer."