January After a long series of discussions, the Custer County Board of Commissioners (BOCC) voted to shut down the county jail. “My goal is not to cut staff but to save money,” Sheriff-Elect Rich Smith said at the time: “The jail is below 34% occupancy most of the time. It [costs] about $1 million per year to run the jail. Fremont [County] is going to charge us $150 a night for inmate custody. We are paying $460 per night to run the jail to bring in inmates from other counties, but they are only paying us $60 per night. The Fremont Jail has a medical staff on site. I believe it’s the best thing financially to do right now, to send inmates there – if…
