The Board of Mayor and Aldermen have approved a new contract with the Issaquena County Regional Correctional Facility to house city prisoners.

The contract approved Thursday allows the city to continue to house its prisoners at the facility, which is a joint state/county regional facility. The city will pay more for housing its prisoners under the new contract, which increased the cost from $28 to $35 per inmate per day.

Vicksburg houses prisoners charged with misdemeanor offenses or awaiting initial court appearances on felony charges at Issaquena and the Madison County Jail in Canton because there is no room at the Warren County Jail. The city pays Madison County $45 per inmate per day to house prisoners in its jail.

The proposed new Warren County Jail is expected to have sufficient room to house city prisoners once it opens.

At one point in December, the city’s agreement with the facility was threatened when Issaquena County Board of Supervisors voted to close it, but was convinced by state corrections officials to keep the 

According to a Dec. 4 report by the Associated Press, Issaquena Board of Supervisors President Eddie Holcomb said the correctional facility, which can hold 300 inmates, was a financial drain on the county.