By: Jacob Kessler
THE VILLAGE REPORTER
jacob@thevillagereporter.com
The Corrections Center of Northwest Ohio governing board held its regular meeting Wednesday, October 28, 2026, at 9:30 a.m., approving its 2027 budget and considering another request to stop accepting federal immigration detainees.
The board approved its 2027 general fund budget, increasing the daily rate member counties pay for each allocated jail bed from $69.93 to $76.68. Discussion also centered on CCNO’s arrangement to house U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement detainees. Several members of the public urged the board to discontinue the arrangement, describing its effects on detainees and their families.
Lucas County Commissioner Pete Gerken moved to stop accepting ICE detainees, with Lucas County Sheriff Mike Navarre providing the second. Navarre said public testimony persuaded him to support the motion.
Defiance County Sheriff Doug Engel expressed concern that detainees would be transferred farther from their families. He also questioned whether they would receive the same level of care elsewhere.
Gerken said many detainees were not local and suggested electronic monitoring as an alternative to detention. Henry County Commissioner Glenn Miller raised concerns about the financial consequences for participating counties, saying reductions in Lucas County’s bed allocation had increased CCNO’s reliance on federal revenue.
Executive Director Dennis Sullivan said closing another housing unit could save approximately $500,000 in staffing costs. The motion failed, with Gerken and Navarre casting the only votes in favor. The board subsequently directed staff to study the financial impact of ending ICE detention.
In other business, members approved emergency purchases of a $34,380 kitchen kettle and two water heaters totaling $173,700. The board also accepted a $109,323 Four County ADAMhs Board grant to cover wages and health insurance for one social worker.