Example of a new “direct supervision” jail in Vanderburgh County
By Tim Arnett
WABASH,Indiana – Much of the marathon Wabash County Commissioners meeting Monday morning was taken up by a presentation of a feasibility study for a new Wabash County Sheriff’s Office and Jail by Eric Ratts, Principal Architect at Indianapolis-based engineering firm DLZ. Ratts said that DLZ looked at everything from who is in jail to why they are there to Wabash County’s aging yet declining population. He noted that House Bill 1006, which requires county jails to keep all level 6 felons who have a 365 day or less sentence – in addition to larger numbers of female inmates – has put a strain on the Wabash County Jail with its 72 rated beds.
In order to keep jail numbers down in Wabash County, our listeners know that many inmates are house in the newer Miami County Jail. In fact, it costs the county $450,000 to house these inmates in Miami County. Understanding that the projected inmate population for the county is expected to rise dramatically over the next 20 years, the conclusion was obvious: Wabash County needs a new jail.
Ratts told the commissioners DLZ recommends that the county will need a new facility with 215 rated beds. The sticking point is how much it will cost and where the money will come from. The cost of that new facility ranges from $15.7 to $17 million. Even if Wabash County decided on a smaller160 bed jail, the cost would still be in the $13.5 to $14.7 million range. And those numbers do not include “soft costs,” such as financing, legals fees, permits, property acquisition and utility upgrades. These soft costs translate to an additional 25 – 30% of the hard construction costs.
And then the talk at the meeting turned to where the money will come from. Ratts said that many counties in the state fund jail construction out of their LOIT fund. In English, this means it is funded out of the income tax residents pay. Being that Wabash County has the second highest-rated income tax rate in the state, County Council Vice-Chair Bill Ruppel, who was in attendance at the meeting, expressed his disapproval for that approach. He even expressed that he doesn’t think 215 rated beds would be a big enough jail. Ruppel thought a jail that housed 300 was perhaps a more appropriate number.
Another approach is obtaining the funds through property taxes. But that would apparently require another referendum, similar to what Wabash City Schools faced earlier this month. Ruppel also expressed his doubt as to whether such a referendum could pass. Regardless, Ruppel says that many people feel like they’re taxed enough already.
Chairman Barry Eppley told MiBash News that the county will talk to a financial analysis firm over the summer to map out the fiscal impact. He added that one potential site of a new jail is the area currently occupied by the Wabash County Farm on Manchester Avenue and US 24.