County Jail Decision on 2003 To-Do- list
By Stacey Creasy
PLYMOUTH � Will 2003 be the year when major decisions are made regarding a new Marshall County Jail?
�Yes,� said Kevin Overmyer, president of the Marshall County Commis-sioners.
Overmyer knows he is only one of three votes, but he believes plans for a new jail are in the works in the coming year.
The commissioners will conduct their first session of the new year on Monday. Commissioner John Zentz will join Overmyer and fellow commissioner Clifford Allen.
Last year, the commissioners heard a report which narrowed down the sites for a new jail to three possibilities. Since then the plan has come full circle. The commissioners formed a jail committee, headed by Marshall County Sheriff Bob Ruff.
At one point, the committee conducted a public hearing where a dozen possible jail sites were considered. The committee reduced the number of sites back down to the original three locations: The former Oliver Ford business, the county farm and seven acres of land being offered to the county by the Van Vactor family.
Even though the commissioners have not officially voted to construct a new jail, the feasibility study conducted for the commissioners, shows the county needs a new jail.
The only plan presented to date calls for a one-story, 160-bed facility that set aside 40 beds for a work-release program.
The current jail was constructed in 1974. It was built to house 44 inmates. Ruff said the jail averages between 55 and 60 prisoners. On one weekend this year, there were 84 inmates in the jail. Inspectors have cited the county numerous times for overcrowding, lack of recreational facilities and lack of a law library.
The commissioners know it would cost much less to extend water and sewer services to the Van Vactor site west of the city than it would to take the same services out to the county farm.
The remaining question for commissioners is the overall cost factor. Once they know which option comes with the lowest price tag, they may be in a position to make a decision where a jail will be constructed.
Once that is done, the commissioners will likely meet with Ruff to determine the needs and wants to go in a new detention facility.
The work-release center will help pay some of the costs of a new jail. Some residents have also suggested the county set aside beds to hold federal prisoners or to earn additional revenue by housing inmates for other counties.
�I can�t speak for everybody,� Overmyer stated. �We want to get John in here and get his input, but I�m sure we will make the big decisions about the jail this year.�
The county also has a method to fund a new jail without the project, the County Adjusted Gross Income Tax. By raising the local CAGIT by .25 of a percent, the county will be able to pay off the bond for a new jail.
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