Wednesday, December 24, 1997
Vote on Comanche jail expansion expected
By SUZANNE GAINES / ARN Correspondent
COMANCHE -- Commissioners expect to vote Jan. 12 on whether
to approve 20-year certificates of obligation to finance the expansion
of the Comanche County Jail.
"The window of opportunity is now," said County Judge
John Weaver during Monday's commissioners' meeting, in which discussion
of jail expansion was the central topic.
The current jail has room for 52 prisoners, but a Comanche
County citizen's committee report has recommended that the jail
be expanded to house an additional 96 prisoners.
The cost of the expansion is expected to be $1.82 million.
Commissioners have said, however, that it is their plan to use
the revenues obtained from housing prisoners from outside the
county to pay for the expansion within five years.
Comanche has housed inmates from Wisconsin for several years.
Wisconsin pays the county $39 per inmate per day. The county's
cost averages $23 per prisoner per day. In addition, Wisconsin,
where jail costs are double those of Texas, needs more space for
prisoners.
Sheriff Billy Works said he believes an expanded jail would
be profitable even if Wisconsin prisoners would be withdrawn.
The Texas Department of Criminal Justice has reported that Texas
prisons are nearly full again and Comanche could provide jail
room for the overflow. Surrounding counties also use the Comanche
jail, Works said.
"The expansion will create 20-25 new jobs at the jail.
Those new jobs will, in turn, create additional new jobs and possibly
businesses in the community. The review by the citizens committee
indicates that the expansion can be paid for in five years, and
then we will have a source of revenue to help hold our property
taxes down," Commissioner Clyde Brinson said.
The committee recommended the expansion provide 48 maximum
security beds and 48 minimum security beds using the labor of
some of the 900 Wisconsin prisoners who are skilled in construction
and who are currently jailed in Bowie County.
Commissioners said citizens could force a bond issue by presenting
a petitions signed by 5 percent of Comanche County voters.
"We would need the petitions in the next 30 days,"
Weaver said. "And that would just delay the whole thing,"
since the next possible date for a bond election is May 2.
Commissioners asked representatives of the financing institution,
First Southwest Co., to return Jan. 12 to present a detailed proposal,
offering a plan to pay the obligation in five years. At that time,
commissioners will vote on the proposal.
"By stretching the financing arrangement over 20 years,
no tax increase would be required if for any reason Wisconsin
or the state withdrew their prisoners. On the other hand, it would
be our plan to use the revenues from holding additional prisoners
to repay the entire $1.82 million in five years," Weaver
said.
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Abilene Reporter-News / Texnews / E.W. Scripps Publications
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