Durango City Council has approved a two-year intergovernmental agreement between the city and Archuleta County to house inmates at the Pagosa Springs jail.
The city pursued an intergovernmental agreement with Archuleta County after negotiations for a new jail agreement with La Plata County fell through.
Councilors voted 4-0 to approve the agreement with Archuleta County. Mayor Jessika Buell was absent.
Councilor Olivier Bosmans voiced frustration that the city is in this position. He said the Archuleta County agreement is not a solution, but a “patch.” However, he voted for the agreement because councilors have “chosen a path as a council that gives the city no other option.”
City Manager José Madrigal said negotiations with Archuleta County began Feb. 10, and an agreement was reached on Feb. 26.
The nine-page agreement bears similarities to the previously proposed 10-page agreement with La Plata County, with notable exceptions including the daily rate for housing inmates.
Madrigal said the new agreement also contains improvements compared to the La Plata County agreement regarding liability responsibilities.
Councilor Melissa Youssef said the new agreement provides a reliable alternative to housing municipal inmates at the La Plata County Jail and allows the city to continue its specialty court program for municipal offenders.
The daily rate in the Archuleta County agreement is $110 per inmate. The daily rate offered by La Plata County was $198.08, according to the draft agreement.
Madrigal said the city housed 10 inmates in La Plata County Jail for a total of 81 days in 2024. La Plata County’s proposed daily rate would have cost the city $16,044.48, while Archuleta County’s rate would cost $8,910.
He said the city did not negotiate with Archuleta County over the daily rate – $110 per inmate per day was the original rate the county offered.
The agreement allows no more than six Durango inmates to be housed at any one time.
Estimated transportation costs did not outweigh the cheaper daily rates, he said.
Ten round trips between Durango and Archuleta total about 2,280 miles traveled. Using the IRS standard mileage reimbursement rate of 70 cents per mile, transportation costs total $1,596, he said.
Additionally, Madrigal said only municipal inmates will be housed in the Pagosa Springs jail. Anyone held for failure to appear in court will be kept in the Durango Police Department’s holding cells.
He said people held for failure to appear in court are detained only briefly before being taken to court and sentenced. If jail time is required, they can be housed in the Archuleta County Jail.
City Attorney Mark Morgan said liability was more evenly divided in the Archuleta County agreement compared to La Plata County’s.
“La Plata County wanted us to take liability for everything, from the minute they (inmates) walk in the door, including the actions of the county sheriff employees,” he said.
The agreement with Archuleta County more fairly divided responsibility between the city and the county, he said.
cburney@durangoherald.com
