MORGANTOWN – The Monongalia County Commission on Wednesday finalized a new fee schedule for the intake and transport of individuals arrested by municipal police departments and the West Virginia University Police.
Under existing transport agreements with the municipalities and WVU, each is charged $35 if a trip to the North Central Regional Jail in Doddridge County includes an arrestee brought in by their respective police departments. The charge is not per person. If there’s more than one arrestee from a given jurisdiction taking the ride, it’s still $35.
Under the new agreement effective July 1, the charge will be $160 for each arrestee transported. That number includes both an increased charge for transport, plus one day of the per diem rate charged by the state to house an individual in a regional jail.
Further, the municipalities and WVU will be charged a $40 intake fee if an arrestee is handed off to the sheriff’s department but is bonded out or otherwise released before being transported to the regional jail.
There currently is no charge in that scenario.
The approved agreement notes that the charges are either/or, meaning for every arrestee dropped off, a charge of either $40 or $160 will be assessed depending on whether the person is transported, but never both.
Members of the commission said the revision is long overdue.
“It’s a much needed increase. It’s been a long time. Our costs have continued to skyrocket and it’s just time to increase the input from the other partners in my opinion,” Commissioner Jeff Arnett said.
The agreement notes that the intake and transport of arrestees is a complementary service, not a required operation of the county or the sheriff’s department, and that failure to accept the terms of the revised agreement will be grounds for disqualification from the service.
It also notes that agencies committing arrestees to the regional jail based on the order of a municipal court “shall be responsible for all costs associated with the arrestee’s full term of incarceration …”
“The Monongalia County Commission does not operate the processing/transport center as a business or revenue-generating enterprise, but rather as a courtesy service to assist the community and surrounding agencies,” the new utilization agreement states. “The intent of the facility is to provide temporary processing and transportation support only, and not to establish or maintain a self-sufficient business operation.”
Sheriff Todd Forbes previously estimated the approximate cost of each 140-mile round trip to Doddridge County at $217. He explained that number represents the cost of fuel and personnel, but does not include wear and tear on the specially outfitted transport vans that must be replaced every two to three years at a cost of $90,000 based on the most recent purchase.
So, what do the changes mean for the municipalities and WVU?
Using Morgantown as the example, the city had 269 total transports between June 2025 and April 2026. Of that number, 211 were billable under the current $35 per trip scenario, for a charge of $7,385.
Based on the new agreement, the city would have been charged $160 for each of the 269 transports, totaling $43,040. As mentioned, the cost of the first day of incarceration – which arresting agencies are already responsible for – is baked into that number.
In addition, Morgantown would have been charged $40 for each of the 590 arrestees who were dropped off at the sheriff’s department but not transported during that timeframe, totaling $23,600.
Total transports (billable transports) per agency between June 2025 and April 2026
- Morgantown – 269 (211)
- Westover – 76 (71)
- Granville – 17 (14)
- WVU – 11 (9)
- Star City – 6 (6)
Arrestees handed over the Monongalia County Sheriff’s Department but not transported between June 2025 and April 2026
- Morgantown – 590
- Westover – 126
- WVU – 50
- Granville – 33
- Star City – 11
