MANSFIELD — Grocery store prices have soared in 2022 due to inflation that hit a 40-year-high earlier this year.
So Richland County commissioners were not surprised Tuesday when they were told the price of meals at the county jail and Community Alternative Center will rise 8.6 percent in 2023.
Commissioners unanimously approved the renewal of the final year of a contract with Trinity Services Group, a Florida-based company whose website says is the largest contractor in the country dedicated to the corrections industry.
Rachel Troyer, the county’s central services coordinator, told commissioners the increase is a “sign of the times” and that the contract does allow Trinity to raise its prices when renewing the contract.
This is the final year of the contract, which Troyer said would be rebid next year.
“We did talk about going out to bid this year, but we decided it would not be advantageous to the county at this time,” Troyer said. “We don’t think we would get better prices than (this) renewal.”
It’s the third increase in three years from Trinity Services Group, based on the consumer price index. The company raised prices 5.8 percent last year and 3.8 percent the year before.
“We have a good contract and inflation is what it is,” Commissioner Darrell Banks said. “We don’t skimp on food.”
Richland County Sheriff’s Office Capt. Chris Blunk, who oversees the county jail, said the average price per meal, based on 601 to 650 total meals per day at the two sites, will be $2.03.
That’s up from $1.87 this year and up from $1.77 during the first year of the deal.
The actual cost is dependent on inmate population. Blunk said the average daily population this year has been around 175, though it has dipped in the last few months into the 140s.
In his budget request to commissioners for 2023, Blunk requested $567,00 for food services, up from a $540,000 request in 2022. That amount would fully fund the food efforts if the jail were filled to capacity for the year
With more than 3,400 employees, Trinity Services Group operates in 43 states, as well as the U.S. Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico. It sub-contracts with local vendors, according to Troyer.
