Latest Jail Bond Costs

The Guardian attended a meeting at the Commissioner's Meeting Room today from 1-3:30PM this afternoon.  Comm. Pam White called me yesterday to invite me to hear what the good people from DLR, the consultant on yet another jail plan presentation.

Here's the short version of the meeting.  The latest jail plan calls for a 1,044 bed jail at the hwy 20/26 jail site.  The cost will be a whopping $198,600,000.00 if a bond is issued at 5% interest. Or in simple terms about $200,000 for each jail bed.

 This translates to a bond repayment cost of $132/$100k of net taxable value to every property owner in Canyon County.

Also presented was a proposal for new digs for the Sheriff and his staff.  The costs for this were $27,000,000 give or take depending on which option of the two presented gets  selected.  Using the ground floor of the Dale Haile Detention facility was what this money would be used to remodel into a new HQ for the Sheriff.

Beware of Coppers Issuing Parking Tickets

It is dismaying to have to report. you could find a parking ticket on your windshield.  A person well know to The Guardian got a $10 parking ticket for having his rear tire on the rolled gutter part of the curb on Hazel St. near the new hospital building.  He was cited for "parking on the sidewalk".  Add to this the envelope to pay the fine wanted hand delivery to the Caldwell Police Department v. mailing it in.

The Guardian has lived here for nearly 40 years and this is the first actual parking citation I have seen or heard about.  My barber who was formerly located on Arthur Street and 7th Avenue bitterly complained about people parking in front of his shop all day long.  This made it impossible for his elderly customers to get to his shop due to parking hogs.  The city police did nothing about the parking abuses. Downtown is a 2 hr. parking zone also routinely abused by business owners who park directly in front of their storefronts.

This begs the question why my friend got a parking ticket for having his tires on the rolled curb part of the sidewalk. It is also against city code to be facing the wrong direction when parked.  Could this be the next effort in crime fighting here in Caldwell?

Terry Reilly on Pennywise Site in Caldwell

It has been reported to The Guardian a brand new three story Terry Reilly Health Services Clinic will be built on the old Pennywise Drug Store property.  The property is located on the corner of Kimball and Cleveland Blvd. 

If you are wondering what it will look like there is a new Terry Reilly Clinic in Nampa on 1st South near the Nampa Burger King.  This is probably a good example of what will be built in Caldwell.

Ada Jail Costs Taxpayers $97/day

The Guardian has long maintained it costs property taxpayers about $100/day to keep someone in jail or prison when all the costs are added into running a jail or prison.  Ada County was recently awarded $1 million to figure out better ways to manage their jail costs.  Again, The Guardian has been a supporter of all alternatives to incarceration due to the costs to taxpayers.  Here's a link to the KTVB video on the money awarded to research better methods of running their jail.

http://www.ktvb.com/news/local/ada-county-receives-1-million-to-reduce-jail-population/480888426

The actual cost of incarceration in the Ada County Jail are mentioned about 2:58 into the video.  That cost is $97/day to Ada County property taxpayers. You will have to suffer through an advertisement on the front end of the video.  It is worth a look and listen listen to what is said. 

Jails and prisons are big ugly facilities taxpayers get to pay for with some of our citizens need to be locked up while others may only need some other method of social retribution for their crimes.  $100/day per inmate seems like a lot of money to keep someone in jail for minor offenses. There are other options and they need to be researched and used.

A new $250K jail study will soon  be out for general review by the public.  The Sheriff is pushing for a new 1,000 bed jail.  Canyon County owns a jail site out on the Notus Hwy.  The last time around a special use permit was denied to the county so they could add onto the existing jail.