Amarillo City Council is set to vote on a new version of the jail services agreement on Tuesday.

The latest version of the draft agreement has already earned the backing of the Randall County Commissioners’ Court, which voted to approve the proposal earlier this month. However, even after the commissioners voted on it, the details of the proposal remained murky until now.

The months-long negotiation process began late last year, when Randall County chose to withdraw from the current agreement, setting off a countdown for the agreement to expire in May.

A core area of concern for the city was the fact that the current agreement requires the city to pay for a minimum of 67 beds per night in the county jail, despite the fact that the city typically does not use the minimum number of beds.

Amarillo City Council proposed a new version of the agreement in January. That agreement scrapped the minimum number of beds, increased the amount the city would pay per bed from $75 a night to $100, and would have implemented a $200 booking fee per prisoner.

The city’s proposal wasn’t accepted by Randall County, however. Instead, the newest version proposed by the county is closer to the original agreement in many key aspects. Specifically, the new agreement maintains a required minimum of beds, though the number is lowered from 68 to 52. The cost per bed under the new proposal is $95 a night, higher than the current rate but lower than what the city’s proposal was. The booking fee has also been scrapped from the newest proposal. This change is estimated to save the city $31,025 per year if approved.

If approved by Amarillo City Council, the agreement will become effective on May 1st. Notably, the item is included on the consent portion of the council’s agenda, meaning it may be considered along with several other items with a single vote and no separate discussion.

In addition to the new jail services agreement, the council is set to consider a memorandum of understanding regarding the installation of a fiber-optic circuit between the Randall County Sherrifs Office and the City of Amarillo’s Simms Municipal Building.

The meeting is scheduled for 3:00 pm on Tuesday, April 23rd. The meeting will be held in the City Council Chamber on the third floor of Amarillo City Hall. The full agenda and agenda packet can be found at this link.