The Nye County Sheriff’s Office has announced that employee meal prep oversight of inmate meals at the Pahrump jail, could result in cost savings totaling hundreds of thousands of dollars.
That comes as welcome news to the cash-strapped county that has announced it is facing an estimated $2 million budget shortfall.
The cost-savings measure was initiated by newly elected Sheriff Sharon Wehrly who successfully invoked the 90-day cancellation clause in the food-service oversight contract with Trinity Services Group, Inc., at a meeting of the County Commission on Feb. 3.
According to Sgt. David Boruchowitz of the Nye County Sheriff’s Office $343,000 was written into this year’s budget to pay for meal prep oversight services. That figure translates into a meal cost estimate of between $5 and $7 per inmate at the Pahrump jail.
That figure contrasts with the approximate cost of $1.50 to $2 per meal, per inmate at the Tonopah jail, where there is no contract.
It remains unclear if the current per-meal expense in Pahrump includes the cost of food.
The Pahrump jail averages a daily head-count of between 115 and 120 inmates. On Wednesday, Feb. 4, the jail was housing 118 inmates. Factored into contract cost savings and future projections are the jail’s 240-inmate capacity.
Boruchowitz said that a detailed cost-saving, replacement nutrition plan will be presented to the County Commission within 90 days.