Posted: 5/10/06
CJC open house brings out more concerns
Size, location, tax impact questioned
By David Heiller
Argus News Editor
Citizens questioned the size, location, and tax impact of a proposed criminal justice center at a public hearing in Caledonia on May 2.
The questions, both written and verbal, came at the end of a three hour meeting which about 50 citizens attended.
County commissioners and staff spent the first 90 minutes talking about many aspects of the project at the open house in the high school auditorium.
It was one of seven such open houses that were held in all of the cities in the county in recent weeks.
The questions focused on the scope of the project and the fact that commissioners want it located adjacent to the current courthouse, which is known as Option B.
One written question asked if the county had done a needs analysis to justify the size of the jail.
County board chairman Kevin Kelleher, who did most of the talking, said people should look at the minutes that are available from past meetings. He repeated that statement several times during the meeting. ìAs far as a needs analysis, Iím not sure who would perform that,î he said.
Throughout the meeting, Kelleher stressed the efficiency of being located next to the current courthouse. It could utilize existing courthouse space by having a skyway connect the old and new buildings. The cost of bringing in utilities such as water, sewer, and electricity would be less too, he said.
Another question asked if the county had done a cost analysis. Government is not a business, Kelleher replied. He said the county doesnít intend to bring prisoners in as a ìcash cow.î Taking in prisoners will be done as a courtesy to other counties. More prisoners will help with cost efficiencies, he said, noting that two people monitoring 40 prisoners is more efficient than two people monitoring 25 inmates.
Many other questions
Here are some the questions and the countyís response
ï Why did the county pay $225,000 for the Albert house when only a jail and additional parking is needed?
ìAs I said, the jail doesnít fill itself,î Kelleher said. Thing like probation, prosecution, and court services go with it, he said. ìThe office space is part of that process.î
ï Has the county applied for bonding money? What will be the tax impact?
The county hasnít applied for bonding money, and commissioners donít know when they will, because the cost will depend on the size of the facility, Kelleher said.
Another set of information meetings will be held to address the tax impact questions once that information is known, Kelleher added.
ï Will the county be buying the Snow-Pac property for additional parking?
Commissioner Ann Thompson said the county will need to look at parking options they already have at places like the Burmester and Kirchner properties. Another option could be having employees park in one of the cityís parking lots.
ï What if the cost goes over the estimates?
Commissioners will look for a construction management company that has a lot of experience with jails, Kelleher said. That will reduce the possibility of cost over-runs, he said. ìWe donít want to be a learning place for somebody.î
The county will save more in the long run by using Option B, Kelleher said, repeating his efficiency theme. Over a 20 year period, the cost of the building is 20-25 percent of the total cost, Kelleher claimed. ìThe major cost is in personnel to run it.î
ï When will the county board take the thoughts of the community into consideration?
Kelleher said he is hearing from people who support the project who are unwilling to express that sentiment at a public meeting. He said he is sensitive to Caledonia. ìI frankly have had more positive comments than negative.î
County commissioners are elected by people and are knowledgeable on issues, Kelleher added. He said referendums are a bad idea. Things like the Louisiana Purchase, the purchase of Alaska, and the interstate highway system would not have occurred had they been voted on in a referendum.
ï What if citizens donít want a huge CJC in the middle of town?
All jails have opposition, Kelleher said. He said he called people in 17 different counties and they had all had different issues with jail location.
ï Have traffic studies been done to handle the influx of people?
The county anticipates a decrease in traffic because there will be less transporting of inmates than is done now, Kelleher said.
Minnesota Department of Corrections inspector Tim Thompson said that Nobles County did a survey before it built its jail, and that survey resulted in the project being moved out of downtown to the airport. It turned an $8 million project into a $17 million one, he said. A survey would double the cost of the Houston County project, Thompson said.
Bob Klug of Caledonia objected to that statement.
ìI donít have the hard numbers,î Thompson said.
ìThen you canít make that statement,î Klug responded.
Thompson said he was going from his experience.
Klugís comment opened up the floor to verbal questions. Faith Bergin said location is the number one concern of people. She wondered why that hadnít been taken into consideration. She said an analysis of costs and efficiencies for both on site and off site should occur.
Kelleher said the CJC committee did look at pros and cons, and that information could be obtained at the county web site. He repeated that he had received positive feedback on the Option B site too. ìThere are a lot of differing opinions and I appreciate yours,î he said.
ìI say give us more options off site,î Bergin answered.
Kelleher admitted that the board could do a better job of quantifying efficiencies, but it wouldnít make sense to do so with the properties that were looked at off site.
Bergin said she had been following the issue of a new jail, but had no idea of the magnitude of the project.
Kelleher said the board advertised and held a meeting in 2001 in which two people attended.
ï About the building: The proposed CJC would include a 42 bed jail expandable to 80 by double-bunking; a law enforcement center (sheriffís department), two courtrooms, and office space for county attorney, court administration, judicial, court services, and victim services. It would be about 70,000 square feet and cost $15.7 million, according to information released in March.
Caledonia Argus
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