Freeborn County government made a positive change this week when the board decided to change the way it feeds inmates at the county jail.

In the past, as in many other counties, the county let the sheriff handle administration of jail meals. In Freeborn County’s case, the county paid Sheriff Don Nolander $10 per inmate, per day, and Nolander contracted out the duty of preparing meals for the inmates.

Now, the county board will take bids and decide on who gets the contract for the meal service. Instead of paying per day, the county will pay on a per-meal basis.

Aside from cutting out the middle-man, which makes sense just for simplicity’s sake, the move will save the county money. Instead of $10 per day, the county will pay its contractor $2.64 for a breakfast and $2.65 for a lunch or a dinner. For inmates who eat all three meals, that only amounts to $7.94 per day. A $2 savings per inmate, per day can save the county around $30,000 per year. There’s no reason not to take a deal like that.

In addition, there were times when the old system was a waste of money. For example, jail populations are higher on weekends when, many DUI offenders, for instance, wait for court appearances Monday morning. Those offenders typically are released after they go to court, meaning they would only eat one, maybe two meals. But the county has been paying $10 for them, regardless.

The old system, a tradition from the days when the sheriff would cook prisoner meals himself, was fine for its time, but it was time for a change. The county finds itself stretching to fill all the holes in its budget, and finding ways to save money is a better alternative than service cuts or tax hikes.

Tribune editorials represent the opinion of the newspaper’s management and editorial staff.