Tulsa Jail, Pools Discussed At County Meeting

While the city of Tulsa is trying to negotiate a lower cost to keep inmates in the county jail, the county has come up with a new dollar figure that is much higher.

The two governments have argued almost a year now on the cost of keeping city prisoners in the county jail.

The city is paying about $1 million a year now and the county thinks it should be about $3.1 million. That number came out of a meeting Monday between county commissioners.

11/24/2014 Related Story: Jail Contract In Place, Tension Still High Between Tulsa City, County

The city doesn't like the number, which came out of what commissioners think it would cost the city to run a separate jail.

Every other town in the county has their own, except Tulsa, which generally has about 30 inmates each day.

Right now the city pays $69 a day for each person held on city charges.

The commissioners also talked about the county pools, which aren't making money and some need expensive repairs.

The county has public pools at LaFortune, Chandler and O'Brien parks, but had considered closing all of them because not many people use them.

3/3/2015 Related Story: Money Keeping West Tulsa Pool Afloat, Drying Up

The county isn't ready to do that so they'll stay open this year, at least for now, while more work is done on the cost of updating and repairing problems at each one.

The pools are open in June, July and part of August and they'll open again this year.

The county hopes to coordinate with the city, and private groups like the YMCA, to see if they can all work together on a plan to keep some pools available after this year.