The DeKalb County Commission took new steps to move forward with a proposed new jail facility last Monday night during the regular commission meeting, voting to approve a Jail Committee recommendation to not build on property at the existing site of the DeKalb County Jail, off the square in downtown Smithville.
In a surprise move, the commission then proceeded to move even further with the project, voting 9-3 to purchase 71.5 acres on Smith Road, belonging to Tim Staley, not to exceed $1.8 million with closing costs as the future home of the new jail subject to favorable core drill testing.
The commission then voted 9-3 to issue a 12-year capital outlay note for the purchase of the property to be repaid with funds generated from debt service.
With the current site off the table, the county had been considering two greenway locations, 71.5 acres on Smith Road for $1.8 million and a site on Robinson Road, 36 acres for $1.3 million.
The commission seemed to be in a no-win scenario as far as the jail location, with several citizens in attendance voicing their opinions on where a new jail should be. One speaker accused the commission of not listening to the public on the issue and doing whatever they wanted. Others expressed support for not expanding the downtown location, leaving that area open to future business prospects.
Still others expressed not building a jail at all, complaining about proposed cell sizes and the need for inmates to have natural lighting. Of course, those stipulations are mandated by the state and are out of the county commission’s control.
Commissioner Beth Pafford had made a motion to post an RFP (request for proposals), to seek more options from other property owners with at least 15 acres to sell to the county for a jail. The motion was defeated 8-4 with Pafford, Mathia Anderson, Myron Rhody, and Greg Matthews voting for it and Larry Green, Tony Luna, Tom Chandler, Andy Pack, Daniel Cripps, Jeff Barnes, and Sabrina Farler voting against.
Commissioner Tom Chandler made a motion to purchase the Smith Road property for jail construction not to exceed $1.8 million, plus closing costs and subject to favorable core drilling. The motion passed 9-3 with Commissioners Chandler, Luna, Green, Pack, Anderson, Merriman, Cripps, Barnes, and Farler voting for it and Commissioners Pafford, Rhody, and Matthews voted no.
Chandler then made a motion to issue a 12-year capital outlay note to fund the purchase of the Smith Road property. It passed 9-3 with Commissioners Pack, Anderson, Merriman, Cripps, Barnes, Farler, Green, Luna, and Chandler voting for it. Commissioners Matthews, Rhody, and Pafford voted against.
With the land issue moving forward, the commission then decided to move the project along even further. Seemingly fed up with the years-long discussion over the jail, the commission voted 8-4 to issue a 12-year note not to exceed $35 million to build the jail. The commission also voted that Treanor will be the architect for the project.
The commission had been expected to only vote on a recommendation by the Jail Committee, who voted in favor of eliminating the existing jail site downtown from expansion consideration. The committee recommended that the jail be built on a greenway at a new location.
At the Jail Committee meeting, Commissioner Larry Green explained that building on the existing site would be more expensive than building on a new site.
“They have costs of $5.6 million to redo the existing jail whatever we do downtown, and they also pointed out when they get inside that jail to start refurbishing it, they have no idea what they are getting into when they start knocking down walls and tearing up floors because they will have to gut the inside of it. And whatever we do downtown is all we would ever be able to do downtown because there is no more room to expand,” Green explained.
“A 152-bed jail on the existing site would run $36.8 million. On a green site, a 152-bed jail would run $28.2 million. That’s roughly an $8 million difference. If we build a 200-bed jail on the existing site its $43.8 million and on a green site its $34.5 million.”
Though the estimates given at the meeting give the commission an idea of the cost of the new facility, the plans are for a “barebones” structure and would admittedly have to be altered for additional office, staff, and storage space.
With the project now focused on the Smith Road property, the architect, state officials, and Sheriff Patrick Ray will have to meet and go over specifics for the facility, highlighting what is needed and what is required.
“Once the architect, Tennessee Corrections Institute, the sheriff, and county commission agree on the final drawings, they will be drawn up and sent out for bids. We will not turn a shovel until we open the bids. Everything in this whole project will be bid out,” said Jail Committee Chairman Green.
Commissioner Chandler made the motion to issue the 12-year note on a jail project not to exceed $35 million. “We received multiple quotes on sizes of a jail, 152 beds, 200 beds and the (cost) variations were like $28 million to $35 million depending upon the location. Since we have a location (Smith Road), I’ll make a motion that we issue a note not to exceed $35 million for whatever that will build whether its 152 beds, 157, 143, 190, 200 beds etc. Whatever that $35 million will pay for.”
Chandler’s motion was adopted 8-4 with Commissioners Pack, Anderson, Merriman, Cripps, Barnes, Luna, Green and Chandler voting in favor and Commissioners Rhody, Pafford, Matthews, and Farler voting against. Farler said the budget committee should have considered it first.
With the county’s new fiscal year approaching, the budget committee will have to determine how much of last year’s 51-cent tax increase will be needed to fund a new jail project. The increase was approved last year for debt service to fund construction of a proposed judicial center. That project was defeated in a referendum vote. With the commission voting to issue a note instead of general obligation bonds, the public will not be able to contest this funding through a referendum.
With the giant leap forward over the proposed new jail, some expressed concerns over how it was presented and seemingly rushed through. Commissioner Matthews addressed the commission, saying, “This was not on tonight’s agenda and two other commissioners are not here tonight,” said Matthews.
“The 51 cents that was raised last year was for a $65 million bond. That bond failed and that 51 cents should have gone back. Instead, we are keeping part of that money. Everybody who just said ‘yes’ just lied to everybody you had spoken to prior,” said Matthews.
Earlier in the meeting, Commissioner Pafford had made a motion to amend the agenda and omit action on the “capital outlay note” intended for land purchase. Commissioner Rhody made a second, but it was defeated 8-4.
County Mayor Matt Adcock explained that this issue and others including a “paramedic school compensation agreement” were discussed during last Thursday’s County Commission workshop and that he had been asked by commission to add them to the agenda. The agenda also provided for “any other business properly presented.”
