Lawrence County commissioners approved a renewal of the jail commissary, canteen and accounting contract with contractor Keith Britt at their Nov. 12 meeting.

Rhonda Haney, the jail representative, told commissioners the updated contract raises the county’s share on commissary sales and related categories. "Our commissary items would go from 28% to 30%. The abandoned would go from 23 to 30%, and our secure pack items would go from 20% to 25%," Haney said, adding that based on prior-year sales the county can expect an approximate $11,000 increase in revenue under the new terms.

Haney also said the vendor employs current jail staff on a part-time basis for vending-machine and commissary order duties and proposed a 50¢ per-hour increase to those hours. Commissioners asked clarifying questions about contract length and automatic renewal; the board confirmed the new term is a one-year automatic renewal model that will be monitored.

Commissioner Sonata moved to approve the contract renewal and the motion passed on roll call.

The contract was described as operationally important to maintain commissary services for the inmate population and to provide accounting support for commissary operations. The board did not indicate any use of county general funds for the contract; revenue estimates were presented as projections based on prior sales.