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Math on jail proposal just doesn’t make sense

Submitted by admin on Wed, 01/13/2016 - 10:03am

To the Editor:
So far, our county commissioners are not giving up on spending about $7,990,000 to do some remodeling on our present jail.
This was not the intentions of the Tudhope estate of nearly $4 million for “new structure.”
They try to justify by stating the cost of jail rental space elsewhere warrants this huge expense. However, the math doesn’t support it and it is so simple it is embarrassing.  Note: our jail cost is about $160 a day per prisoner while rental cost is $55 a day. They claim that rental cost is $150,000 per year. Actually, it was about $135,000 in 2014 and about $100,000 in 2015, which they claim makes spending of $7.99 million a good investment. Really?  Take the $7.99 million times 2.3 percent interest, which they receive, and this equals $183,770 per year. Nearly $63,000 more than the jail rental and they would still have the $7.99 million while putting up with some inconveniences. If there is money borrowed, it makes this scenario even worse.
Remember, the U.S. has the highest incarceration rates per capita in the world. Hopefully, some incarceration will diminish using other methods.  
What’s really eye opening is that they are spending $6.1 million for 10 cells (20 beds).  This amounts to over $600,000 per cell. Oh yes, they are planning to spend $1.8 million to solve security concerns, so there must be a fear factor. Yes, the sheriff said so. Even with the lack of any bad history, just maybe those so concerned are in the wrong line of work.
So this unfounded justification for this expense by so-called conservative men, is not okay with us taxpayers. Somehow they got stopped on the $22 million jail project a few years ago, but still are not willing to put this on hold.  Plus, the citizens of Glencoe really do not want the street closed. Please call one or more of the commissioners listed expressing your dissatisfaction of their reasoning. Thank You.
Doug Krueger, 320-864-5944; Sheldon Nies, 320-587-5117; Ron Shimanski, 320-327-0112; Joe Nagel, 320-587-8693; Paul Wright, 320-587-7332.
Gary Ballard
Glencoe