Leflore County supervisors have approved a 90-day contract extensions with Corrections Corporation of America that involves both the Delta Correctional Facility and the County Jail.
The Board of Supervisors on Tuesday dissolved the Delta Correctional Facility board because state law now gives supervisors the authority for transmitting funds from the state to the privately-run prison.
CCA and state corrections officials are in the process of negotiating a new contract for the operation of Delta Correctional, Sam Abraham, county administrator, said.
Abraham said he understands that the state is continuing to commit to keeping about 900 prisoners at Delta Correctional.
The state closed the prison in the fall of 2002 and reopened it a year ago.
The state, under the extension, is paying CCA $29.85 per day for each prisoner at Delta Correctional. Under the 2004 contract, the amount was $30, Abraham said.
Meanwhile, the state is reimbursing Leflore County $20 a day for keeping state prisoners in the County Jail.
The county is paying CCA $25 a day for male inmates and $26.75 for female inmates. The jail houses prisoners from the county, the city of Greenwood and the state.
Abraham said that's about a $5 loss per prisoner per day, which is offset when county-housed state prisoners are used for garbage pickup, highway litter details and courthouse maintenance.
Plans at Delta Correctional Facility include the installation of additional security fencing on the south side of the prison.
Also during the supervisors' meeting, the board gave final approval to Staplcotn's 10-year ad valorem tax exemption.
The exemption covers the cotton marking cooperatives $5.1 million renovation completed last year plus $700,000 in new equipment.
The exemption, which also has been approved by the Greenwood City Council, will not include school district and state taxes.
According to Tax Assessor Leroy Ware, Staplcotn would have annually paid about $125,000 on the new property. Instead, the county will receive around $41,000.
