City of Battle Creek And Calhoun County Fighting Over Jail Fees

A dispute between the City of Battle Creek and Calhoun County regarding the County Jail could be coming to a head.

The Battle Creek Enquirer reports that for years, Battle Creek has been paying $31,500 a month to house inmates at the Calhoun County Jail, but the city believes they don’t have to pay that amount because they helped cover the costs of constructing the Calhoun County Justice Center in 1994.

However, Calhoun County says the city is obligated to pay under statute from 1906. Recently, the City has threatened to cut off the payments if they can’t work to resolve the issue. Sheriff Matt Saxton has said that they would continue to offer beds to City inmates, even if the city stopped payment.

The issue was supposed to be sent to the Michigan Attorney General’s Office two years ago, but as of yet it hasn’t. The Calhoun County Prosecutor does plan on sending a request for an opinion to the state in the coming weeks.