Here's the letter sent to the Canyon County Commissioners:
Concerned Citizens of Canyon County
Committee
Formed December 7th, 2017
Canyon County
Commissioners
Dale, White, Rule:
It is our
understanding you have scheduled a meeting with the DLR Group on January 5th,
2018 to continue the employment of this company for the purpose of determining
taxpayer support of yet another Jail Bond. We have learned this will cost
taxpayers another $58,000 for this survey.
We recognize the need
for more jail beds in Canyon County. However, in the interest of good government
and consideration of the onerous tax increase of the DLR proposal of $198 MM to
build a new jail based on erroneous assumptions we are requesting you cease
your efforts with the DLR Group for the following reasons:
1. The proposal
prepared by the DLR Group when compared with national and local costs for jail
construction costs is excessive in design and cost to taxpayers.
2. DLR Group's
proposal states the need for 1,055 jail beds at a cost of $187,677.00 per bed
and a total cost for the project of $198,000,000.
3. DLR Group's
calculations are based on the premise of 3.35 beds per 1,000 population which
exceeds the national average by 41%. The national average is 2.34 beds per
1,000 people. Historically, the local averages for jail beds is 2.25 beds
per 1,000 residents.
4. We did a
search and found a recently completed jail in Idaho was opened in July 2016
with 135 beds and constructed for $11.2 MM or an average bed cost of
$84,848.00. Clearly, this brings into question costs generated by DLR.
According to census
data, Canyon County's population as of December 31st 2016 was
211,698. This is an increase of 12% since January 1st 2011.
Based on the national statistics of 2.34 beds per 1,000 people we should have a
jail bed total of 538 single occupancy cells or 269 double occupancy jail
cells. Or, a mix of jail cells and dormitory beds of no more than 538
total beds based on our current population data.
Our Sheriff, an
elected official, says we have a need of 1055 beds to satisfy jail bed needs
for the next 20 years. However, with historical population increases of
2% per year, in 2037, Canyon County population would be 314,572 and that would
dictate a need of only 736 total jail beds.
The DLR Group analysis
is calling for a bloated 41% increase over projected needs for jail beds based
upon 2.34 beds/1,000 people. If construction is staged over the next 10
years we should only need 604 jail beds.
Current capacity of
our jail is 477 beds. A jail addition was proposed by former Comm. Hanson
and Current Comm. Rule and would have added a net increase of 140 new jail
beds. (50 beds of the current jail would be lost to construction
demolition. The actual number of new beds would be 190 minus those lost
to demolition.) This addition would have given a total bed count of 612 total
beds in the Canyon County Jail. Additionally, there is room for another
190 beds of the same podular design next to the Dale Haile Detention Center.
Cost for the 190 bed addition was set at $15
MM by Lombard Conrad Construction Company for the Hanson-Rule addition.
This was a turnkey cost of construction. The cost per bed for this
project would have been $79,000/bed. This is a substantial difference in
cost when compared to the DLR Group proposal. It was shared with us this
jail addition could have been built out of County reserve funds at no
additional increase to Canyon County taxpayers. (this effort was impeded by
the statement from Comm. Dale that he would issue a stop work order when he got
elected. His statement effectively killed the project.)
It is our
understanding you have spent $245,020.00 with the DLR Group for their efforts
to date. And now you want to spend another $58,000 on a survey effort of
Canyon County taxpayers to discern their willingness to support another jail
bond. We have these results in a resounding NO from three previous jail bond elections. We think spending
another $58,000 on this survey is not the best use of taxpayer dollars.
DLR Group has not
given Canyon County taxpayers a fiscally responsible nor reasonable cost for a
new jail with their cost of $198,000,000 for their jail proposal.
As a group, Concerned
Citizens of Canyon County, we strongly
request that you develop a fiscally responsible plan for more jail beds
within the defined boundaries of the Canyon County Courthouse Campus and secure
at least three (3) competitive proposals which reflect the actual basic
requirements for a functional facility.
Regards,
** Ron Harriman, Kathy Alder, Victor Rodriguez, Paul
Alldredge, Chuck Stadick, Dale Pearce, Darl Brunner, Bob Gaddis, Daryl Ford, Don Brandt, Ed
Parnell, Hubert Osborne, Larry Olmsted,Mila Wood, Ronalee Linsenmann, Sid Freeman, Tara
Alexandra, Richard Hanneman
Sheriff Donahue has demonstrated he does not like to play nice with the County Commissioners. He does not return calls, email and other attempts at communications with his peers. It may be his undoing as an elected official if the word gets out to enough people and a suitable replacement runs against him.
ReplyDeleteThe new jail is not needed according to the taxpayers.
ReplyDeleteThe taxpayers of Jerome County paid for a new jail with a promise of so-called new options for leasing excess beds at the county jail. After nearly a year of waiting on a contract from Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), the long-awaited contract, which would allow ICE to lease 50 beds at the Jerome jail, has never materialized.
I fear that Canyon County will most likely become another Jerome County at the Commissioners and Sheriff's behest.
From the photos I have seen of the insides of the Dale Hale Detention Center (jail in Caldwell) I see plenty of bed space to add extra beds. Jail is supposed to be punishment not a luxury hotel.
I agree the Sheriff needs to move along now.
Tom Dale is trying to repeat what he did in Nampa with all the debt he created with the library, police building and the empty parking garage. This jail project is a crazy burden to put on Canyon County property taxpayers. I don't disagree there is a need for more jail beds but not 1,055 of them at a cost of $200 thousand for each bed. The Sheriff we have has demonstrated no willingness to discuss anything but the Tom Dale Jail.
ReplyDelete