Butler County Prison as seen on Tuesday, March 19, 2024. Morgan Phillips/Butler Eagle

The Butler County Prison Board approved an antenna system for purchase with its new portable radios and weighed options for its next inmate health care contract.

The board approved a $158,175 antenna system for the prison so the new radios will be operable throughout the building. Warden Beau Sneddon previously said a radio coverage test revealed the cement and metal prison walls impede signal transmission, which is why the antenna system was needed. County emergency services director Steve Bicehouse facilitated the project.

“Steve assured me that this system is essentially ‘overbuilt’ for what we need,” Sneddon said.

The finished system will allow encrypted prison communications and communication outside the prison. Sneddon said the project has taken about two years with an estimated cost of around $496,377. The 74 Motorola radios the commissioners purchased in June were about $4,500 each and cost about $354,432 in total.

The antenna system will be voted on a final time at the Butler County Commissioners meeting in November.

The prison board was also set to extend by one year its current five-year, $2 million per-year contract with PrimeCare Medical and vote on a new contract from 2027-2031, but the items were tabled. Sneddon will invite the company’s president, Brent Bavington, to the Nov. 18 meeting to address concerns.

Since the PrimeCare contract came with two optional one-year extensions, the board discussed its options of signing a one-year extension or working with the company to begin the next contract in 2026 instead of 2027 for potentially better rates.

PrimeCare pulls health care staff from nearby prisons where it has contracts to fill in when necessary eliminating the need to resort to staffing agencies. He said the company also has a good track record with state inspections and allocated an additional mental health professional to the prison at no additional cost.

Two significant factors in the conversation were how much the board will pay in overages, driven by medical costs, and in a monthly payment toward a catastrophic cap. The catastrophic cap sets the maximum the prison will spend on inmate health care before the insurance company covers the rest. The prison board then has 30 days to reimburse the company.

The cap was set at $200,000, but under the new contract, it would be elevated to $400,000.

“Keep in mind, they do refund us,” Sneddon said. “If we don’t hit that cap, we get that money back.”

Sneddon also considered inmate health care companies Medico, Armor Health and YesCare, but he said each comes with their own drawbacks and other prisons have seen large price increases after issuing requests for proposals to new providers.

The board also approved the renewal of its contract with The Ellen O’Brien Gaiser Center, which will be voted on when the commissioners meet in November. The center provides the prison with specialized therapies, addiction treatment and inmate resources. Sneddon said he will have official figures for the contract at the November commissioners meeting.

The prison board also approved the hiring of three correctional officers and set its 2026 meeting dates.