July 23, 2014 at 2:10 p.m.
Vote yes on jail (10/20/2008)
Editorial
This year's ballot has bookends.
At the front, obviously, is the presidential contest.
No matter who you're backing, you'd have to agree that this is a tremendously important choice for the future of the country. Our guess is, you'll weigh the choice carefully and make a reasoned decision.
At the other end, back at the back of the ballot, there's another question, one that doesn't have the national implications of the first but which still means plenty here at home: Should Jay County take on a jail renovation/expansion project that could cost in the neighborhood of $10 million?
Our hope and our recommendation are that you vote yes.
That's not because we're thrilled with the idea of spending taxpayers' money to expand the jail. It's not because we're bleeding hearts who go to bed every night worrying about the comfort of those behind bars.
It's because - like it or not - the plan to expand the jail that's on the table is the best plan available.
If the referendum is defeated, the very real problems faced by the sheriff's department at the jail aren't going to go away.
They'll still be there. But if the referendum is defeated, local officials will have their hands tied when it comes to solving them.
There's an old expression about throwing good money after bad.
It fits here.
Should the referendum be defeated, this county is likely to spend nearly as much money, perhaps even more, doing the job badly rather than doing it right.
Repairs will be made. Remodeling will be attempted, with potentially significant costs to house prisoners elsewhere in the meantime.
Why will those repairs and remodeling go forward? Because the current situation at the jail is simply untenable.
Tonight, prisoners at the Jay County Jail will sleep on the floor. Tonight, prisoners at the Jay County Jail will be housed behind bars whose locking mechanisms are outdated antiques. Tonight, the county will be exposed to an enormous potential legal liability in the event of a fire at the jail.
So, no matter what the vote on the referendum, those problems aren't going to go away.
The county government will still have to fix them. But if the referendum fails, it will be doing the job inefficiently rather than efficiently.
In other words, the problem stays the same. The choice is between spending tax dollars to fix it the right way or spending tax dollars to put on an endless succession of band-aids and patches.
We think the right answer is pretty obvious.
As you ponder your choices, particularly with those bookend decisions at the front and the end of the ballot, we hope you'll agree.
Vote yes on the jail referendum. In the long run, it's the smartest way to spend our tax dollars. - J.R.[[In-content Ad]]
At the front, obviously, is the presidential contest.
No matter who you're backing, you'd have to agree that this is a tremendously important choice for the future of the country. Our guess is, you'll weigh the choice carefully and make a reasoned decision.
At the other end, back at the back of the ballot, there's another question, one that doesn't have the national implications of the first but which still means plenty here at home: Should Jay County take on a jail renovation/expansion project that could cost in the neighborhood of $10 million?
Our hope and our recommendation are that you vote yes.
That's not because we're thrilled with the idea of spending taxpayers' money to expand the jail. It's not because we're bleeding hearts who go to bed every night worrying about the comfort of those behind bars.
It's because - like it or not - the plan to expand the jail that's on the table is the best plan available.
If the referendum is defeated, the very real problems faced by the sheriff's department at the jail aren't going to go away.
They'll still be there. But if the referendum is defeated, local officials will have their hands tied when it comes to solving them.
There's an old expression about throwing good money after bad.
It fits here.
Should the referendum be defeated, this county is likely to spend nearly as much money, perhaps even more, doing the job badly rather than doing it right.
Repairs will be made. Remodeling will be attempted, with potentially significant costs to house prisoners elsewhere in the meantime.
Why will those repairs and remodeling go forward? Because the current situation at the jail is simply untenable.
Tonight, prisoners at the Jay County Jail will sleep on the floor. Tonight, prisoners at the Jay County Jail will be housed behind bars whose locking mechanisms are outdated antiques. Tonight, the county will be exposed to an enormous potential legal liability in the event of a fire at the jail.
So, no matter what the vote on the referendum, those problems aren't going to go away.
The county government will still have to fix them. But if the referendum fails, it will be doing the job inefficiently rather than efficiently.
In other words, the problem stays the same. The choice is between spending tax dollars to fix it the right way or spending tax dollars to put on an endless succession of band-aids and patches.
We think the right answer is pretty obvious.
As you ponder your choices, particularly with those bookend decisions at the front and the end of the ballot, we hope you'll agree.
Vote yes on the jail referendum. In the long run, it's the smartest way to spend our tax dollars. - J.R.[[In-content Ad]]
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