BOWLING: Can we afford a new jail? – Martinsville Bulletin

I would like to question the reasoning and feasibility behind the Henry County Board of Supervisors approval of the Henry County Sheriff's Department's request for funding and building a new jail.

The projected cost for building the new jail is nearly $70 million. After the state rebate, which also includes local taxpayer money, the cost to the Henry County government is still almost $52 million. This breaks down to a cost of around $1,000 per Henry County citizen based on 2016 Census estimates. If you factor in the number of households only, the cost rises to over $2,300, and this is just the cost of building the jail. Let's look at other costs.

The proposed site of the jail once housed one of the largest industrial employers in our area and a beautiful country club. It has a scenic view of the Smith River, immediate access to 220 Business and is less than 2 miles from 58 West. DuPont still owns a considerable amount of land at the site. It is willing to donate 10 acres and sell another 20 to the county at a cost of $500,000. Based on the 14 percent increase in property tax going into effect this fiscal year, it will likely cost the county over $3,500 in lost revenue per year by coming off the tax rolls. It will also make the rest of the 450-acre site less marketable for potential employers or industry.

Once complete, the amount of time, gas, wear and tear on vehicles would rise to transport inmates to the Henry County Courthouse for trial. It is nearly 7 miles across town and, based on Google Maps, takes just under 20 minutes to travel on a day with light traffic one way. Compared to now, both figures go up exponentially.

The county is budgeting $444,000 to house overflow inmates in other facilities this fiscal year. This is up 31 percent from last year and 127 percent from fiscal year 2016. What is the cause for this increase? Did the crime rate really rise that much? Did a specific cost in housing inmates rise? Even so, at $444,000 a year, it would take over 100 years of use to justify building a new jail based on the cost to the county. It has also been said that the new jail will only meet the county's needs for the first 10 years after it is completed.

The current jail was built in 1974 when the population was about 55,300. 2016 Census estimates are 3,800 less, at 51,500. A recent publication projects the county population to drop 25 percent more over the next 3 decades. Do we really think the crime rate will rise that much when we are forecast to lose that chunk of our population? If we do lose that many, should those that stay bear a greater burden to pay for a jail? Moreover, bear in mind that we just built a new $20,000,000 school as well.

Could we lower inmate occupancy by releasing those accused of victimless crimes, like drug possession, on their own recognizance or even electronic monitoring? Is it possible that legislation potentially forthcoming could lessen the demand for inmate space in the future, putting the burden of empty beds on the taxpayer? I'm not even going to touch on the moral dilemma of government entities trying to profit off of those incarcerated.

If it is deemed absolutely necessary to have a new jail, has the county looked at other options? The first I would suggest is to remodel the current jail, with a small economical addition to be added on the same parcel the current jail is located on. There is plenty of space surrounding the current facility that could more than double the current local occupancy to meet the need. Patrick County built a jail in 2011 rated for 126 inmates at a cost of $11 million, so I know we can do much better than $70 million. Another option would be to explore a regional partnership with other jurisdictions to offset our expense and liability. The City of Martinsville has recently stated that they would like to explore possibilities of a new jail.

With a projected loss of population and tax revenue, can we afford the plan to build a new jail?

Eric Bowling is a resident of Henry County

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BOWLING: Can we afford a new jail? - Martinsville Bulletin