The Flowery Branch City Council voted Thursday to enter into a new agreement for housing inmates in the Hall County Jail.
Flowery Branch Police Chief David Spillers recommended the agreement to the council, saying it was the most economical option for the city, despite the county increasing its rate from $39 per inmate per day to $60. The city council voted unanimously to enter the deal.
"I've done research as far as the rates are concerned and I understand the foundation that the (Hall County) Sheriff is using to propose this as a new rate," Spillers said. "It's reasonable for us."
Spillers said the city also had the option of paying the county ten percent of citation fees in exchange for housing inmates. He said he believed paying rates per inmate per day would be more cost-effective for the city.
The agreement is part of a series of new agreements around Hall County after county commissioners approved an increase in rates and new contracts that they said had long expired. Spillers said Flowery Branch's contract with the county expired in 2015.
