By SALINA POST
For months, the Saline County Commission has been sorting through information and soliciting public opinion concerning what to do about the Saline County Jail.
In April, the commission voted to pursue the option of building an entirely new jail and sheriff's office. On Tuesday, the commissioners approved a resolution to place a question on the Nov. 3 ballot that, if approved, would impose a half-cent sales tax for the purpose of constructing, furnishing, and equipping a new jail and sheriff's office.
If the increase is approved, the difference in sales tax paid on a $100 purchase is 50 cents. The county estimates that the sales tax would generate approximately $6 million annually.
The sales tax would pay for the general obligation bonds that would be needed to finance the construction of the facility, not to exceed $89,655,000, and would end once the bonds are paid off, as required by law. The county's financial advisors for the project have estimated that the bonds could be paid off in 15 to 20 years, depending on sales tax revenues received.
Why a sales tax increase rather than a property tax increase? According to the county, an advantage of utilizing a sales tax increase is that a sales tax would be collected from everyone who spends money in Saline County. A property tax increase would only be collected from property owners. The county estimates that 25 percent of sales tax revenues in Saline County come from people living outside the county.
The need for a new jail
The proposal is more than just the Saline County Sheriff's Office wanting a new facility. A number of studies, including a needs assessment, have been completed to provide recommendations on proposed project and future capacity projections, according to information from the county.
The existing original sheriff's office and jail was constructed in 1962. An addition was completed in 1995. The jail has a total of 192 beds, 40 of which are in the older part of the jail. The average daily inmate population for 2019 was 247, the Saline County Sheriff's Office, which runs the jail, noted. Twenty-year projections show the average daily inmate population exceeding 400.
According to inmate statistics from the sheriff's office, the Saline County Jail has been over-capacity for 10 years. During that time, the county has paid more than $6 million to house some of its inmates in other counties.
Additionally, the county has incurred the costs of transporting those inmates to and from other counties. According to information from the county, sheriff's office personnel make an annual average of 600 trips to transport Saline County inmates to and from other facilities.
If the sales tax is not approved, the county will be forced to continue housing a number of inmates out of county. According to the county, a 20-year projection of continuing to house Saline County inmates out of county would cost the county an estimated $66,125,431 just in contract housing.
In an information flier about the need for a new jail, the county identifies a number of deficiencies in the current jail, including the following.
●Not compliant with modern jail standards
●Inefficient facility, requiring increased inmate movement and decreasing staff safety
●Leaking pipes
●Rusted elevator
●Insufficient medical areas
●Insufficient technology infrastructure
●Insufficient isolation and individual cells for quarantine
●No medical and negative air flow cells
A new facility
The new jail would be built at an entirely different location and would have 392 beds. Other plans for the new facility would include the following.
●A dedicated medical areas for males and females and dedicated areas for those who need mental health care.
●Expanded program space to add programs to help with rehabilitation and re-entry.
●Space for dedicated program staff with the potential to add a facility specific social worker or mental health professional.
●Energy efficient, utilities that are more accessible for repairs, staff efficiencies.
●$89,655,000 total project costs that includes funds for purchasing property to build on
●49 additional full-time staff will be needed to run the facility at full capacity. The jail already employs 55 people.
●A new sheriff’s office space for administration, patrol, investigations, and records.
What would happen to the current facility? According to the county, a letter has been received from the North Central Kansas Regional Juvenile Detention Facility expressing interest in transforming the 1995 portion of the jail into a juvenile center run by them.
To see more about the jail project, go to the Saline County website and click on JAIL PROJECT 2020.