Voting Rejection of Contract for Jail Communication Services in Dane County
In a recent Santa Clara County board meeting, the proposed contract for a new jail communication solution, sponsored by Supervisor Lucy Mathiak, failed to pass. The contract, which was with Smart Communications Holding Inc., based out of Florida, aimed to save jail inmates more than $100 a month.
However, the vote resulted in the majority of the board being against the proposed contract. Many concerns were raised by county supervisors about Smart Communications Holding Inc., but no new concerns were mentioned in the latest discussion.
Santa Clara County Sheriff Kalvin Barrett stated that families will now pay higher fees to communicate with their residents in jail due to the contract's failure. The county will continue to use the same company they have been utilizing for years for jail communications, meaning that families will continue to pay to communicate with their loved ones in jail.
Heidi Wegleitner, the District 2 supervisor, expressed her worry about a three-year term with Smart Communications Holding Inc. due to its leadership and policies. District 11 Supervisor Richelle Andrae was a sponsor on the failed jail communication contract.
Another agenda item at the meeting was an agreement with Dean Health to provide employee group healthcare. No further information about the potential cost of this agreement was provided.
The discussion on the jail communication contract was ongoing as of 10:30 p.m. on Thursday. It remains unclear when a new decision will be made regarding the jail communication solution.
