Despite repairs, Red Willow County jail still empty

McCOOK, Neb. — The Red Willow County Jail, built in 2014 and funded with a $5.1 million bond, sits empty while prisoners are still being sent to North Platte. Repairs made to the 24-bed facility have been completed, yet the jail remains empty.

In August 2024, Red Willow County began sending inmates to North Platte due to deteriorating conditions in the Red Willow County Jail, which was built in 2014.

Rust in the shower areas of 16 modular cells caught the attention of the Nebraska Jail Standards Board, rendering the jail uninhabitable. The facility was evacuated, and while repairs were completed quickly, prisoners are still being housed in North Platte.

Although repairs took just three weeks, the jail remained empty for another three weeks due to caustic fumes from materials used during the process and limited ventilation.

The jail is now ready for use, but the county continues to send inmates to North Platte at a daily cost of $50 to $65 because of inadequate staffing.

Staffing was a key topic of discussion on Monday when Red Willow County Sheriff Kevin Darling introduced newly hired Jail Administrator Serge Yeboa at a meeting of the Red Willow County Board of Commissioners. Yeboa, a native of the Ivory Coast with a bachelor's degree from Kennesaw State University, is fluent in English and French.

He has been working as a caseworker at the McCook Work Ethic Camp and identified recruitment of staff as his top priority.

Yeboa's efforts to fill eight jail staff positions and attract applicants for unfilled sheriff's deputy roles will include attending local job fairs and appearing at Walmart this weekend. Details of these efforts will be announced in the Gazette as they become available.

In other business, the Red Willow County Board of Commissioners held their regular meeting. After approving the agenda, commissioners reviewed accounts payable claims and held a public hearing on the final levies for 2024.

Following the hearing, the board levied the necessary taxes for the year and certified the levies to neighboring counties.

At 9:30 a.m., the board reconvened to hear County Treasurer Crystal Dack present resolutions authorizing the issuance of county sales certificates for new property tax delinquencies.

Dack also requested authorization for the county attorney to begin foreclosure proceedings on unredeemed tax sale certificates.

The board also discussed purchasing a Lycox Front Mount Retriever. While members had attended a demonstration of the equipment, concerns remained.

A motion by Commissioner Randy Dean to purchase the equipment failed for lack of a second. However, a motion to table the issue for future discussion passed with a 2-1 vote, though no date was set for reconsideration.

The meeting concluded with the approval of several consent agenda items, including minutes from previous meetings, accounts payable claims, and the chairman's signature on documents such as an oversized load permit for Star House Moving and a special designated liquor license for HoJo's Hideaway. Surplus items from the Extension Office were also approved, and the chairman signed a County Roadway Occupancy Permit for Black Hills, a Maximus Allocation Plan, and a data cabling services agreement with Applied Connective for the Extension Office.

Additionally, the board approved Resolution No. 1545, transferring $4,416.33 from the Road 0300 fund to the Road and Bridge Buy-Back Fund 0650 to correct an error.

With no further business, the meeting was adjourned.