Officials are hoping a change in the way jail inmates’ dental care is delivered will leave county leaders all smiles — at least when it comes to costs.

At its regular meeting this week, the Cullman County Commission approved a change in the way inmates receive teeth cleanings and other dental essentials, shifting away from the previous method of carrying detainees to a local dentist’s office. Under the new system, the dentist’s office instead will come straight to the jail, via a mobile dental care agreement with health provider Mid America Health.

Rather than loading inmates into a vehicle and providing a deputy-supervised escort away from the Cullman County Jail for a teeth cleaning, Mid America Health will deploy its mobile care unit directly to the jail. Each mobile visit will cost the county $2,200, but that includes a full day — or 14 inmates’ worth — of dental service.

Though it only cost $100 per visit for a single inmate’s cleaning under the old system, it also came with the additional cost of assigning a deputy as an escort and a built-in potential risk factor, should an inmate escape. Commissioners believe the new plan will save money over time, since both those factors are eliminated by having the service come directly to the jail.

To get the most value from each $2,200 mobile visit, the sheriff’s office will only host a day-long mobile cleaning session once the 14-inmate waiting list to receive dental services has filled up, commissioners said.

In other business at its regular meeting, the commission:

Approved the minutes of the Sept. 21 regular meeting.

Recognized employee Denise Caudle, who is retiring after 14 years at Smith Lake Park.

Recognized employee Don Newman, who is retiring after 10 years at Sportsman Lake Park.

Recognized employee Jeremy Jackson, who is retiring after 25 years at the Road Department.

Renewed the county’s worker compensation coverage through the Association of County Commission of Alabama by extending the county’s present agreement with the ACCA for a three-year periods ending Sept. 30, 2024.

Held a public hearing concerning the proposed vacation of a portion of County Road 1266. Residents who live in the CR 1266 area spoke during the hearing, though none was opposed to the measure. After the hearing, the commission approved vacating the property.

Authorized the abatement of the previous year’s taxes in bankruptcy/litigation and insolvents, a routine measure that keeps the Revenue Commissioner’s office current on tax collections for each fiscal year.

Authorize chairman Jeff Clemons to sign a three-year service agreement with Environmental Systems Research Institute (ESRI) for GIS mapping software in the amount of $165,000. The software is used internally by a number of county offices, as well as rendering interactive county maps that can be accessed by the public online.

Authorized associate commissioner Kerry Watson to appoint Terry Bentley to the E·911 Board, replacing outgoing member Dorothy Maddox, for a term set to expire on Sept. 1 of 2024.

Authorized chairman Clemons to sign an updated agreement with Premiere Bank for ACH payroll deposits. Under the revised agreement, the county’s periodic payroll deposit limit will be raised from $550,000 to $600,000, a measure commissioners said is necessary to cover higher payroll periods, which recently have reflected an increase in the number of overtime hours worked by county employees.

Approved a final change order for plumbing and electrical contracting installation work at the CARTS Bus Wash, with an invoice payment of $20,242.50 closing out the completed project.

Appointed chairman Clemons to the Investing in Alabama Counties Operations Council.

Approved a lease agreement with Enterprise Fleet Management in the amount of $61,716.24 per year, allowing the county road department to lease trucks for a three-year period with the option to sell the vehicles at the end of the term.

Approved paying the annual premium for workman’s compensation for county volunteer fire fighters in the amount of $12,967.

Surplussed miscellaneous furniture from the Revenue Commissioner’s office and from the Commission on Aging for sale on GovDeals.com.

Approved a plat proposal for Open Range Subdivision, a minor subdivision containing 22 lots located on County Road 1663 and County Road 1664.

Ratified a bid extension for motor oil, transmission fluid, and other consumable motor maintenance goods to W.H. Thomas Oil and McPherson Oil, locking in prices negotiated a year ago for one additional year.

Ratified a bid extension to Ergon Asphalt & Emulsions through Oct. 14 for emulsified asphalt.

Awarded to three companies a bid award for corrugated plastic pipe, with Cullman-based Bear Concrete Products, Inc. the preferred first customer. When demand requires, Ferguson Water Works of Madison and ADCO Pipe & Supply of Huntsville will also be authorized to supply the material.

The next county commission meeting will be held Nov. 16 at 6 p.m. in the commission meeting room of the Cullman County Courthouse. A 4 p.m. public work session will precede the meeting.