This afternoon, the City Council sent a sad, desperate letter to King County Executive Ron Sims and County Council Chair Dow Constantine pleading with the county to extend its jail contract. The city is asking for a 10-year extension on its contract with the King County Jail to hold misdemeanants arrested for crimes like DUI and domestic violence; that contract is currently set to end in 2012.

There is much public confusion about the cities’ need for jail space. Many citizens believe that because the County has resolved to provide jail space for the region, the cities have no need for a new jail. Others believe that recent reported trends in the jail population should allow the cities to decide for themselves that they do not need a new jail.

The reality, of course, is that only the County can decide to give the cities access to County jail space. We know you did not intend to contribute to the confusion, but it exists nonetheless. One way to resolve it would beyou’re you to offer the cities a new long-term agreement. Another would be for you to acknowledge that you cannot do so, notwithstanding any recent short-term trends. We would much prefer the former, but the latter would be an improvement over the status quo.

The jail's population has been far lower than the county estimated in a 1999 study (the county is currently working on a new inmate forecast) but it looks like the city is seeking to expedite the process and bring some closure to a protracted battle over where and when Seattle may need to build a new jail.

According to King County Jail spokesman Major William Hayes, bookings at KCJ and the Regional Justice Center in Kent are down compared to last year. However, Hayes cautions, "These things run in cycles. We’ve had these trends go up and down for years."

Last year, Hayes says the county's jail monthly population average was about 4020. This year, that number has slipped to 3859 and while the county has drastically increased the number of beds it rents out to the state's Department of Corrections, a number of cells remain empty.

With the jail population already in decline, the city Jail Advisory Group is also looking to reduce the number of felony arrests made by Seattle Police—as felons must be held at county facilities—to free up even more space at the jail.

The County's new jail forecast should be completed in the next two months.