Christensen agrees state, county idea worth study for Red Willow County jail

McCOOK, Nebraska -- Chamber member Dale Dueland asked Sen. Mark Christensen for his assistance in exploring the option of a joint County and State jail facility that he believed could lessen the tax burden on County residents, while assisting the state jail system with its overcrowding problem. "I think it's a great idea," replied Sen. Christensen, who added that he would look into it and get back with Dueland during next week's conference call.

The conversation took place Thursday morning, during the McCook Area Chamber of Commerce weekly legislative conference call at the Keystone Business Center. Dueland expressed his concern with the construction, upkeep and staffing expense of the $5.1 million Law Enforcement Center that Red Willow County Commissioners have proposed to be built on Norris Avenue.

"I have proposed an alternate site next to the Work Ethic Camp that I think would work better," said Dueland, adding that he had discovered that the State of Nebraska had not been approached about the possibility of sharing in the jail facility's expense.

Dueland cited inmate numbers reaching as high as 190 already at WEC, a facility initially designed for 100.

"Red Willow County may be in a unique position for a sharing scenario between County and State," said Dueland. Dueland reiterated concerns he has raised in recent weeks about the Norris Avenue location presenting serious problems for expansion in the future and said he expressed those concerns to Red Willow County Commissioners a year ago, "but they were not discussed in any commissioner meetings following that."

Sen. Christensen said he knew that changes were made to allow more inmates at the McCook WEC, as it was previously the least populated facility in the state.

Dueland said that the design plans for the proposed Norris Avenue Law Enforcement Center could be used at a location near the WEC and that they appeared to offer a higher security than the WEC facility. Dueland also echoed comments from Red Willow County Commissioner Earl McNutt that the project was not past the point-of-no-return on the Norris Avenue location.

Dueland referenced McNutt's comments from the March 12 county commissioner meeting. McNutt replied during that meeting to a question from Dueland about whether it was too late to change the location of the project by saying the architect had "verified many times that we can stop this project at any point in time. Yes, we could jump out at any point in time."

McCook City Councilman Mike Gonzales asked Sen. Christensen about the status of a bill that will offer tax exemptions to sporting activities coordinated by nonprofit groups such as the YMCA. Gonzales is also the executive director of the McCook YMCA.

Sen. Christensen said the bill, LB 727, "Will get done," along with any other bills that are in a similar position of having already passed the first round.