Sheriff Akshar Explains How Detainees Reduce Jail Costs Locally

According to Broome County Sheriff Fred Akshar, there’s been a lot of chatter lately about whether Broome County taxpayers are footing the bill for state and federal detainees at the county jail. Sheriff Fred Akshar wants people to know, that’s just not true.

Staffing Costs Stay the Same, No Matter the Population

The Broome County Correctional Facility is a 600 bed jail, and New York State requires it to be staffed no matter how many people are inside. Whether there are 100 detainees or 500, the same number of officers are scheduled, according to Sheriff Akshar. That means adding or removing state or federal detainees doesn’t change the daily staffing cost.

State and Federal Detainees Bring in Revenue

Here’s where things get interesting. For every federal detainee, the county gets $110 per day. For state ready inmates, it’s $100 a day. Sheriff Akshar says that money helps offset the cost of running the jail. For example, if one housing unit of 45 federal detainees is filled, Broome County brings in about $34,650 a week, or nearly $1.8 million a year. That’s money that directly reduces the local tax burden.

Food and Medical Costs Don’t Come Out of Local Pockets

Sheriff Akshar pointed out that while food costs do go up slightly, about $6.45 per detainee, per day, the reimbursements from state and federal partners more than cover that. Medical costs for federal detainees are also reimbursed. So, in the end, Akshar says Broome County actually saves money by housing detainees for federal and state agencies.

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Why Broome County Taxpayers Pay Less

Running the jail in 2025 is expected to cost just over $35 million, no matter who’s being housed. Without the reimbursements from federal and state detainees, county taxpayers would be paying nearly $1.5 million more to cover that bill. Sheriff Akshar says the bottom line is simple: holding detainees for state and federal partners reduces the cost to taxpayers, not the other way around.

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Source: Sheriff Akshar: Federal and State Detainees Save Broome County Taxpayers Millions