Council approves plan to bus inmates to Nogales

The Tucson City Council approved a plan to save money by busing inmates convicted of misdemeanor crimes to a less expensive jail in Nogales.

The city doesn’t have its own jail, so it pays the Pima County jail to hold inmates.

The city paid about $6.6 million for inmates in fiscal year 2015 and projected spending $6.9 million this fiscal year, said City Court Administrator Chris Hale.

By contracting with the Santa Cruz County Jail instead, the city will save $180 to $380 per 10-day sentence for each inmate, Deputy City Manager Martha Durkin said in a memo.

Inmates who are being held for trial will stay at the Pima County jail because they need access to an attorney, Durkin told the council Tuesday.

It’s not yet known how many inmates will be sent to serve their time 60 miles south in Nogales. Many will be people who violated the terms of their probation on domestic violence charges and who are already in custody when their probation is revoked and they are sent to jail, Hale said.

Those who are not already in custody but who are told to report to jail could be given vouchers for a door-to-door, round-trip shuttle bus, he said. That plan is still in the works, said City Manager Mike Ortega.

The agreement also helps Santa Cruz County, which has empty beds at its jail.

Tucson also plans to save money on jail expenses by expanding the home detention program, currently used only for sentences in DUI cases, to include sentences for shoplifting, theft, assault and other misdemeanor convictions.

In other action:

• The City Council approved an agreement with Raytheon Missile Systems, the Tucson Airport Authority and Pima County to create an additional security buffer for Raytheon’s airport facilities.

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They also authorized the city manager to negotiate and finalize an agreement to buy about 327 acres of airport land for the buffer, which could be used by Raytheon in the future as a place to expand.

The cost and funding source have yet to be determined, and the sale is subject to approval by the Federal Aviation Administration and a land swap with the Air Force.

The city could use money set aside from the taxes Raytheon pays the city, which was part of a 2009 annexation agreement. There’s about $2 million in that fund.

Pima County also has contributed to the buffer. In 2012 it paid about $6 million for 382 acres.

• The council approved a simplified fee schedule for city golf courses, which includes higher maximum rates for peak-season play and a $2 increase in cart fees.

Seasonal closures may be needed to save money, said Ortega, the city manager. Last fiscal year the golf courses, managed by OB Sports, finished $648,000 in the red.

The council also directed Ortega to review changes to the OB Sports contract regarding performance incentives.

• About 206 city employees will be offered an incentive of three months’ pay for retiring.

Under the buyout program approved by the council, the employees who choose to participate will have until Feb. 5 to retire.

If 90 employees take the buyout, the city would save $1 million in the general fund this fiscal year, Ortega said. Many of the jobs won’t be filled, helping the city balance its budget next fiscal year.