County officials: Road to new jail slow, deliberate

As Cheyenne County moves toward constructing a new jail, officials say they are deliberately moving slowly to ensure a new facility is prudent, economical and sensible.

Earlier this week, the board of commissioners approved an agreement with D.A. Davidson, a bond underwriter, to help crunch the numbers.

A feasibility study has already documented the myriad deficiencies of the existing jail and the need for an expanded facility.

Cheyenne County Sheriff John Jenson said that report just put in writing the lack of space, safety issues and constraints he deals with on a daily basis.

On Friday, four Cheyenne County inmates were held in custody elsewhere in Nebraska because the current jail was unable to house them, he said.

Over the past year, that’s a typical per-day number, he said. And depending on what facility the inmates are transported to, there’s a $45-95 daily cost incurred by the county – in addition to the time and resources used to transport them.

The feasibility study recommended a 48-bed jail – doubling the current capacity – at a cost between $13.4-13.8 million.

The bond underwriters, Jenson said, will now look to see if that’s a possible undertaking for the county.

“We have to be fiscally responsible with the money we have because if you go to a bigger jail, you have bigger expenses, you have to add staffing, which are numbers we have to look at,” the sheriff said. “And that’s what the underwriters are going to do: look at the feasibility study and then go to the next step and look at the hard numbers we have.”

Can the county afford to build a 48-bed jail and can it afford to operate it are the big questions facing officials, Jenson said.

While the feasibility study addressed the need, D.A. Davidson will examine if it’s possible, and if so, how.

“It’s definitely part of the process – I’d say it’s one of the most important parts,” Jenson explained. “It’s as important as the feasibility study was – to take that forward and see really what we can and can’t do.”

The sheriff said he’s pleased the county commissioners are being cautious about the venture.

“It’s a slow process, but I know it’s the right way to do it,” he added.

The underwriting firm will also examine the possible tax burden on residents if the jail is approved.

“Say we go to a bond, they’re going to show what it’s going to cost person A, B or C,” Jenson said, “whether it’s a farmer or a person with a house in town.”

A funding mechanism for a new jail will be discussed when firmer numbers are available, commissioners have said.

Cheyenne County Attorney Paul Schaub earlier this week said a bond could be voted upon by ballot, or the board of commissioners may be able to approve it itself.

Either way, Commissioner Philip Sanders said he doesn’t want to move forward on the project without the support of the county.

“I feel like this has to be a decision county residents make regardless of what it is,” he said.

The amount of time deputies spend transporting inmates to other facilities – and the cost to the county – are daunting, he said.

“Every two weeks when I go to a [commissioners’] meeting, I see the kind of money we’re spending to ship these prisoners out of here,” he said.

He’s also concerned that when deputies are transporting prisoners, they’re not able to respond to calls in the county.

“Just for the safety of the county, this is something we have to figure out,” he said.

But the county is not rushing the process, Sanders emphasized.

“It’s hard to spend money, but it comes a time when your back is against the wall, which is kind of where we’re at now,” he said. “We’ve got to do something because we don’t have a choice. But we also have to be logical about how we choose to go about this.”