Town hall meetings on jail planned

Members of McCook's and Red Willow County's jail committee have homework to do before their next meeting and before September, when they will start a series of town hall meetings to explain to voters why the city and county need a new public safety center and jail.

Dan Smith of D.A. Davidson, a bonding company in Omaha, told committee members during a meeting Tuesday that they need to write down their facts -- the problems, the solutions and the benefits -- regarding the proposed joint facility, so that public presentations and brochures can be developed.

The question of whether to borrow money to build the proposed center will be put to voters on the Nov. 7 general election ballot.

Smith said the ballot will include two questions: approval of the county's jail and sheriff's office and approval of the city's police and fire department facilities. Construction of the city's portion of the project is contingent upon the success of the county's jail question, Smith said. If the jail is approved, the county can proceed with its portion of the project even if the city's question is not successful, he said.

Smith said public meetings will begin in September. "Eight weeks is enough time to present information to the public," he said.

Smith cautioned committee members that city and county money should not be used to promote approval of the ballot questions. Use of those funds would be allowed, however, for printed materials that states simply the problems associated with the existing police and fire departments and with transporting prisoners to out-of-county jails; the solution, which is a new joint facility; and benefits, such as efficiency of operations for police and sheriff's departments, the reduction and/or elimination of county liability associated with transportation of prisoners and an improvement over the existing location of the city's emergency response facility.

The state Accountability and Disclosure Committee does not approve of the spending of city and county funds for blatant advertising for a vote, Smith said.

However, two big questions remain -- the answers to which will help voters make up their minds. What will the facility look like? and, Where will it be located?

Red Willow County Commission Chairman Earl McNutt said that he realizes an architect will cost $5,000 to $7,000, "but the people want a visual concept of the facility."

Reuben Hoff Jr., the chairman of the county's original jail task force, said he thinks that an architect will be needed to to double-check the cost of the facility estimated at approximately $7.2 million by jail study consultants Gary Bowker and Mark Martin.

Hoff said that Bowker and Martin included a 20 percent contingency amount in their estimates, but he added that increases in steel prices may be eating that up.

McNutt said that voters also want to know exactly where the facility would be built. "What I'm hearing is that one way or the other, we need to acquire the West Ward school site. It's the most logical location," McNutt said.

City council member Bill Longnecker, sitting in for McCook Mayor Dennis Berry, said, "I like the (West Ward) idea. We just need to get it done. We need that block. We're on a tight schedule."

The owner of the building and the city block on which it sits is from Denver, and is willing to sell it to the county for $170,000, after purchasing it for $130,000 in November, 2005. At the same time, the property was offered to the county for $50,000, but the owner then, Jon Morrison of Las Vegas, changed his mind and sold it to the Denver buyer.

The property has been appraised at about $104,000.

McNutt said he thinks the jail question's best chance at success lies in the county's acquisition of the West Ward property. "If its purchase isn't successful," he said, "then we fall back on the bus barn site" on West Q Street.

"The pressure's on the county," McNutt said, because the county is putting up the money to buy the land for the joint facility.

Smith told committee members to focus on the West Ward site, and he will contact architects before committee's next meeting, Wednesday, June 21, at noon, at the Chief Restaurant.