Sandy Springs approves longer Lumpkin jail agreement, with costs beyond $55 daily rate

Sandy Springs has approved a longer agreement to house adults at the Lumpkin County Detention Center, but its $55-per-person daily rate is not an all-inclusive price. The city would remain responsible for transportation and medical expenses outside the contract’s routine coverage.

City Council approved the replacement agreement Aug. 18, 2026. Its initial one-year term would renew automatically for four additional years unless either party gives written termination notice at least 60 days before the current term ends. The resolution describes the predecessor, approved June 4, 2024, as one initial year with one additional renewal—two potential years rather than five.

That longer horizon does not lock in the price. The agreement permits annual adjustments to the daily rate after the first year. Beds are available only as space permits, and the city pays for actual days of detention rather than a guaranteed block of beds.

The jail is in Dahlonega. The agreement’s acceptance clause limits admissions to people sentenced for misdemeanor or city or county ordinance violations; it excludes people charged with or sentenced for felonies. Sandy Springs must handle transportation to and from the facility.

Routine on-site treatment and standard medical supplies are covered, but special supplies, emergency treatment and follow-up care, and off-site health care can generate additional bills to the city. If someone is admitted to an outside medical facility, Lumpkin’s sheriff provides security without an extra charge for the first two hours; Sandy Springs becomes responsible for supplying security afterward.

For people held under the agreement, the required services include an initial medical screening within 24 hours, mental-health assessments and reasonable telephone access to attorneys, courts and family members. These are contractual requirements, not findings about the care anyone has received.

The city also retains a way to check conditions: it can inspect the jail without advance notice. If the sheriff’s office fails to remedy deficient service identified through an inspection, Sandy Springs may terminate the agreement outside its ordinary renewal provisions.

The council’s approval authorizes the mayor to sign, subject to approval by the city attorney and chief financial officer. The agreement attached to the signed resolution has blank signature lines for the mayor and sheriff, so this record establishes approval of the terms—not execution of the replacement contract or its start date.