July 23, 2014 at 2:10 p.m.
Lots of questions on jail project (05/19/08)
Editorial
Imagine for a moment that you're one of the Jay County Commissioners or one of the members of the Jay County Council.
You're staring at the complicated problem of what to do with the county jail. You know that doing nothing is a dangerous option, both for the inmates and for the county in terms of legal liability down the road.
You've been given cost estimates of several million dollars, and it's increasingly likely that you'll have to borrow money via a bond issue. That means adding to the property tax rate.
Would the public put up with that? Would taxpayers recognize it as a legitimate investment? Or would the idea be shouted down?
Obviously, if you're one of those county commissioners or county council members, you'd like to know which way the majority of public opinion is going to go.
Changes in state law now provide for a referendum so the public gets to vote before you move forward; it only takes 100 signatures to prompt the referendum. Unfortunately, the way that law is structured, you can't have a vote until you've spent a couple of buckets of public money.
If the Jay County Commissioners had their way, a jail referendum would be on the November ballot so they could know what county residents want and how much they're willing to pay for it. But that's not the way the new system works.
Instead, the county will have to go forward with architectural, legal, and bond-related expenditures, then set a firm figure on the size of a bond issue before the petition and referendum process is triggered. That seems an incredible waste of money if the public is overwhelmingly opposed to the project.
Trouble is, short of a referendum or public opinion poll, the commissioners and council are operating in the dark. Should they move forward with the project, even if moving forward will be costly? Or would that be money unwisely spent?
That's where you come in. What the commissioners and county council need at this point is to hear what people think. Not just the sheriff or his deputies or the editor of this newspaper, but ordinary voters and taxpayers.
Take the time to learn about the issue. Take a tour of the jail if you can. Ask questions. Then express your opinion to your local elected officials.
They'd much rather hear from you now than later. - J.R.[[In-content Ad]]
You're staring at the complicated problem of what to do with the county jail. You know that doing nothing is a dangerous option, both for the inmates and for the county in terms of legal liability down the road.
You've been given cost estimates of several million dollars, and it's increasingly likely that you'll have to borrow money via a bond issue. That means adding to the property tax rate.
Would the public put up with that? Would taxpayers recognize it as a legitimate investment? Or would the idea be shouted down?
Obviously, if you're one of those county commissioners or county council members, you'd like to know which way the majority of public opinion is going to go.
Changes in state law now provide for a referendum so the public gets to vote before you move forward; it only takes 100 signatures to prompt the referendum. Unfortunately, the way that law is structured, you can't have a vote until you've spent a couple of buckets of public money.
If the Jay County Commissioners had their way, a jail referendum would be on the November ballot so they could know what county residents want and how much they're willing to pay for it. But that's not the way the new system works.
Instead, the county will have to go forward with architectural, legal, and bond-related expenditures, then set a firm figure on the size of a bond issue before the petition and referendum process is triggered. That seems an incredible waste of money if the public is overwhelmingly opposed to the project.
Trouble is, short of a referendum or public opinion poll, the commissioners and council are operating in the dark. Should they move forward with the project, even if moving forward will be costly? Or would that be money unwisely spent?
That's where you come in. What the commissioners and county council need at this point is to hear what people think. Not just the sheriff or his deputies or the editor of this newspaper, but ordinary voters and taxpayers.
Take the time to learn about the issue. Take a tour of the jail if you can. Ask questions. Then express your opinion to your local elected officials.
They'd much rather hear from you now than later. - J.R.[[In-content Ad]]
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