DeKalb County Executive Matt Adcock said he fears the state will intervene if the county does not proceed quickly with a plan to replace the current jail.
Commissioners decided two weeks ago to table a property purchase and look at the possibility of renovating the current jail. Adcock said talks have been going on steadily for more than two and a half years.
“We are kind of worried that the state is getting impatient with us,” Adcock said. “And are looking at decertifying us soon, if we don’t come to some type of result.”
When a state decertifies a county jail it means the facility can no longer house inmates. Adcock said the county commission has yet to come up with a plan on how much to spend or where to build a new jail.
Adcock said citizens spoke out against building a combination jail and justice center prompting the commission to decide to just build a jail. Now, some residents want the county to do nothing. Adcock said that option has a lot of repercussions.
“You know, if the state decertifies us, that leaves a lot of liability,” Adcock said. ” A lot of chances for lawsuits for cruel and unusual punishment if it does not meet some type of regulation that the state or federal government puts on jails.”
Adcock said a lot of the opposition he hears surrounds keeping the cost between 28-30 million dollars.
“But it doesn’t look like we could build something for that cost and it still be what we need after it gets built,” Adcock said. “Some of the fear was that if that got built as soon as construction was over, we would already be overcrowded again.”
Adcock said the commission does plan to keep the jail in the city limits of Smithville or as close as possible. Adcock said it would cost more to build outside the city due to infrastructure needs.
“Here in the county we don’t have a sewer system, a jail really needs a sewer system,” Adcock said. “It can’t really operate on any type of septic system. So sewer would be the way to go. You’re also getting further away from your three phase power, all your utilities that you would need to operate something of that magnitude.”
