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With nearly $250 million at stake, Spokane County commissioners want to make sure the public is cognizant of the need for a new jail.
For that reason, it’s possible the county could authorize a survey of voters’ thoughts on a new corrections facility before going forward with a vote in November 2009.
“I can see where it would be a positive to where the public’s thought process is,” Commissioner Mark Richard said, but added that some type of facility would have to be built somewhere and sometime. “I just don’t think we can use it as a basis to move forward or not.”
In May it was revealed that new jail complex, built near the existing jail at the courthouse complex, would cost around $245 million. Initially, it was planned to place some type of bond measure before voters in November of this year. Sheriff Ozzie Knezovich said it would be better to wait until 2009 to educate the electorate on the need for a new jail, and the commissioners agreed to hold off a year on the vote.
While county officials work on ways to bring the cost of the new jail down, a survey was proposed to get voters’ feedback on what they expect from a new corrections facility. The bond vote would need a 60-percent supermajority to pass.
Lt. Mike Sparber, who is charged with directing the effort for a new jail, said that the cost of a survey could range from $12,500 to over $52,000, depending on the kind of information that the commissioners want to receive.
For example, two of the companies interviewed would conduct focus group sessions in addition to the typical multiple-question phone surveys.
Commissioner Todd Mielke said he likes the idea of using focus groups – where stakeholders and other interested parties are gathered for face-to-face discussion – because more information can be gleaned.
“Focus groups get more detailed,” he said. “You get direct answers and get the basis of that perception.”
While there has been no money identified in the 2009 budget to conduct a survey, the matter will be discussed further at an upcoming meeting.
The commissioners, however, do not have an indefinite amount of time to make a decision. A vote for a new jail is crucial as the 500 or so prisoners housed at Geiger Corrections will need to be relocated in 2013, when the facility’s lease expires.
The new jail – which will house minimum-to-medium-security offenders – is set to be built in conjunction with a community corrections facility for counseling and rehabilitation. The existing jail – built in 1986 and already overfilled – would be used for higher-security inmates.
It was also learned that it will cost the count upward of $8 million a year to operate a new facility, and a sustainable source of revenue – possibly some type of tax – would be needed for that purpose.
The sheriff and commissioners have repeatedly stated that the new jail is not merely “bricks and mortar” but would represent a new way of dealing with public safety and corrections. A greater emphasis – through counseling and other programs – will be getting inmates to reform before they become repeat offenders.
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By
Mike Huffman
