Subdivision 1. Capital improvements; bond issues and leases. The construction or acquisition, the equipping, and subsequent improvement of a county regional jail may be financed in whole or in part by the issuance of general obligation bonds of the cooperating counties in the manner provided in section 641.23 or by the issuance of revenue bonds of a city situated in one of the counties or with the approval of the board of county commissioners of each cooperating county a county housing and redevelopment authority established pursuant to chapter 462 or special law, secured by a lease agreement in the manner provided in chapter 474 and in sections 641.24 and 641.263, subdivision 2. Proceedings for the issuance of general obligation bonds shall be instituted by the board of county commissioners of each cooperating county. The regional jail board, with the approval of the county board of each cooperating county, shall fix the total amount necessary to be raised for the construction or acquisition, the equipping, and subsequent improvement of a regional jail, and shall apportion to each county in the manner provided in subdivision 2 the share of this amount, or of annual debt service or lease rentals required to pay this amount with interest, which is to be raised by the county.

Subd. 2. Tax levies; apportionment of costs. The county board of each cooperating county shall annually levy a tax in an amount necessary to defray its proportion of the net costs of maintenance and operation of the regional jail after deduction of payments for the care of inmates, and in addition shall levy a tax to repay the cost of construction or acquisition, equipping, and any subsequent improvement of the regional jail and for the retirement of any bonds issued for these purposes. The county board may levy these taxes without limitation as to the rate or amount, and the levy of these taxes shall not cause the amount of other taxes levied or to be levied by the county, which are subject to any such limitation, to be reduced in any amount whatsoever. The regional jail board shall apportion the costs of maintenance and operation, and of construction or acquisition, equipping, and improvement of the jail to each county (1) on the basis of the proportion that the population in that county bears to the total population in all of the cooperating counties, the population figures to be determined by the last previous federal census; or (2) according to a formula mutually agreed upon by all the cooperating counties.

Subd. 3. Regional jail fund. The initial expense funds, the proceeds from the sale of bonds, and the proceeds of taxes for costs of maintenance and operation shall be paid by the county by which they are appropriated or collected into a county regional jail fund, which shall be kept in the treasury of the county in which the jail is located. The county treasurer of the county in which the regional jail is located shall make payments out of the county regional jail fund on properly authenticated vouchers of the county regional jail board.

Subd. 4. Expenditures. The regional jail board shall approve by majority vote all expenditure vouchers and the chair of the board shall transmit them to the county auditor of the county in which the regional jail is located for payment by the county treasurer, accompanied by the chair's certification that the expenditure vouchers have been approved by a majority of the regional jail board.

Subd. 5. Charges for care of inmates. The regional jail board shall fix the rates to be charged for the care of inmates and shall submit a statement of charges to the governmental unit from which an inmate is committed. The charge for care of an inmate shall be paid by the governmental unit to the county treasurer of the county in which the regional jail is located, and shall be deposited in the regional jail fund.

Subd. 6. Gifts; acceptance by board. The regional jail board may accept gifts or donations from any source, which gifts or donations shall be deposited in the regional jail fund and disbursed by the regional jail board in the manner in which other expenditures are made.

History: 1963 c 452 s 4; 1980 c 487 s 20; 1980 c 597 s 10; 1984 c 633 s 13; 1986 c 444; 1987 c 252 s 10