The City of Amarillo proposed a new agreement with Randall County for jail services Tuesday, though the agreement has yet to receive approval from Randall County.

As we previously reported, Randall County had pulled out of a previous version of the agreement last year, setting off a countdown for the agreement to end in May. During the meeting, Councilman Les Simpson noted some of the problems under the previous agreement. “We’re paying for sixty-eight beds a night,” said Simpson. “But, on average, we use seventeen.”

Under the new proposed agreement, instead of paying $75 a night for 68 beds, they will pay $100 a night per bed as well as a $200 booking fee for each City prisoner.

The new agreement was passed with a unanimous vote by Amarillo City Council, though it will also need approval from Randall County, where it is not guaranteed to pass, as the county has indicated that it wants a minimum amount of guaranteed revenue, which is not something the city’s offer includes. As of writing, the proposal has not yet been listed as an agenda item before the Randall County Commissioners’ Court.

While the council unanimously approved the proposed agreement, the vote to approve a related item to provide bus services to the jail was split.

The bus service item sought to relieve an issue uncovered during negotiations between the city and the county over the jail contract. “As prisoners are being released, they have had concerns about prisoners walking into nearby neighborhoods,” said Interim Deputy City Manager Laura Storrs. Storrs also noted that the jail is outside of city limits with the nearest city bus stop miles away, meaning that bus service to the jail requires action by the council.

Initially, most council members expressed concern about passing the item before knowing whether or not Randall County would accept the new contract. However, Mayor Cole Stanley, who was initially the only member to support the item, eventually swayed a majority of the council to his side. “I think it’s a show of good faith that we’re pretty proactive in being a good partner,” said Stanley. “We’re doing it to help our citizens over there on that side of town, because it’s a problem in somebody walking and hitchhiking or, you know, stopping and knocking on doors asking for a ride.”

In the end, Mayor Stanley, Councilman Scherlen, and Councilman Simpson voted to approve the bus service item, while Councilmen Craft and Tipps opposed the motion.