Most Jail Construction Projects Failed in 2006 Elections

SAN RAFAEL, Calif. — Most proposed jail construction projects did not fare well in jurisdictions throughout the United States that held elections in November.

Concern over construction costs and tax increases at the county level were the biggest deterrent for voters, according to reports.

Many jail committees with failed proposals plan to revise their original designs to reduce projected costs, while still meeting county needs, then go back to voters again.

Midwest

• Voters in Red Willow County, Neb., rejected a $7.5 million bond proposal for a joint public safety center and jail that would have also served the city of McCook. The county has no jail, and the city has only a 96-hour holding facility.
  
• A ballot proposal for a $2.7 million jail renovation and expansion project at Gogebic County Jail in Michigan was rejected by voters, 3,233 to 2,777. The proposal would have expanded the jail, which is over capacity, from 28 to 46 beds and fixed maintenance issues, including problems with insulation, plumbing and security. The county’s growing inmate population and limited jail space have forced officials to send inmates to Iron County, Wis., to alleviate overcrowding. The proposal would have cost homeowners about $134 annually for the next four years.
  
• Voters in Ward County, N.D., rejected a $19.9 million bond for county office construction and renovations. The bond would have funded construction of a new office building and a partial renovation at the county courthouse. The project was the first phase of a three-part project that would have included a conversion of the existing courthouse into a law enforcement center, and a renovation and expansion at the county jail.
  
• Macomb County, Mich., voters rejected a $23 million proposal for new construction and renovations of municipal buildings in the city of Sterling Heights. The proposal included construction of a 60,000-square-foot police headquarters and a renovation of the existing police facility.
  
• A proposal for a quarter-cent tax increase in Hamilton County, Ohio, to raise money for a new jail was defeated by voters. The measure would have raised the county sales tax from 6.5 percent to 6.75 percent in order to fund the proposed $230 million, 1,800-bed jail. County officials have been pushing for a new jail for more than a decade, due to overcrowding at the county justice center and in the 2,274-bed jail system. The county has released some inmates early and has not admitted others because of overcrowding. Some inmates are held in other counties at a cost of $65 per day.
  
• Voters in Louisa County, Ind., rejected a 1-cent local option sales tax that would have funded construction of a new county jail and law enforcement center. The existing jail is over capacity and no longer meets safety codes. County supervisors plan to revisit the proposal by the end of the year and are considering other options, such as a special election, an increase in property taxes or a survey asking why voters were opposed to the measure.

South Central

• Voters in Bandera County, Texas, approved a bond issue to construct a jail and law enforcement center. The project is expected to cost $11.4 million and will include a 96-bed jail, offices and a courtroom. Construction is expected to begin in 2007 and be completed in 2008. DRG of San Antonio is the architect for the project.
  
• A $10 million proposal to build a new jail in Howard County, Texas, was defeated by 60 percent of voters. County officials may hire a consultant to develop new plans for a less expensive facility that would still meet the county’s needs. Original plans called for a 144-bed jail, which could be reduced to 96 beds to lower project costs. The county had already hired a consultant for its first jail design, who worked on planning the facility for about two years. The existing county jail is overcrowded and is struggling with a non-operational smoke evacuation system. Jail officials have been housing inmates in other counties to alleviate overcrowding.

Rocky Mountains

Voters in Larimer County, Colo., rejected a $75 million jail construction bond by nearly a two-to-one margin. Had it passed, the bond package would have financed a 296-bed expansion at the Larimer County Detention Center, the creation of mental health and substance programs for pretrial defendants and seed money for a local rehabilitation center. Crowded conditions at the detention center have forced jail officials to use an early release program, resulting in the early release of nearly 800 inmates during the last two years.