RICHMOND – Circuit Judge Kevin Walden and the Ray County Commission seek agreement on continued use of the less-costly house arrest alternative to jailing people awaiting trial.

“This year, I was requested in my budget to put in the cost that the county was paying for electronic monitoring for folks who were being prosecuted and who were declared to be indigent,” Walden said.

Walden’s reviewed what the commission charged to his part of the county budget for letting inmates wear electronic monitors.

Monitors show whether non-violent, low-risk inmates are where they are required to be, which costs less per day than forcing them to remain in jail. Walden emphasized that, if a person in the program decides to run, community risk would be minimal.

“With electronic monitoring, we know if they’re not there, the community would still be safe,” Walden said.

Putting on the monitor costs $25 and then $10 per day per subject, County Treasurer Melissa Holloway said.

Walden said his review showed that, in addition to the cost of inmate monitors, more expenses have been added than originally considered, such as testing people in the program for drug and alcohol use.

“I wanted to bring that to the commission’s attention,” he said.

Extra expenses can be justified, but Walden said he wanted to make sure the commission understands and supports those expenses.

“I just didn’t think there were that many things that we would have to pay for,” Presiding Commissioner Bob King said.

The contract allowing the monitoring and other services should be reviewed, Western Commissioner Gary Wilhite said.

“We need some feedback from our attorney,” Eastern Commissioner Dave Powell said.

The discussion needs to take commission and judicial expectations into account, he said.

County Prosecutor Camille Johnston said she would review the contract.

Although Walden’s budget includes electronic monitoring, the money now and in the past is part of the county’s overall budget and simply represents a shift in who monitors the expenditure.

“His budget is still the county budget,” County Clerk Glenda Powell said.