With the failure of the two Platte County questions last week, county commissioners are moving on, with no plans to rerun the same ballot measures in November.
“So where do we go from here?” said Presiding Commissioner Scott Fricker. “Back to the drawing board, that’s where. Something needs to be done to alleviate the jail’s severe overcrowding situation and we’ll continue to search for a solution that works for the people of Platte County.”
Two questions were on the Tuesday, Aug. 6 election ballot and both failed. Question one would have issued up to $85 million in bonds for construction and renovations, funded by a one-half cent sales tax to be collected for 20 years outlined in Question two. Question one failed to meet the 57 percent required, but more than half of Platte County voters, almost 54 percent, said yes. Question two was more soundly defeated, with 62 percent of voters saying no.
Fricker said voters made their feelings clear and the commission does not plan to run the issues again in November. However, the jail overcrowding situation still exists and the county needs to move forward with plans to address it, somehow.
“Our focus right now is to meet with the sheriff next week and see what he wants to do,” Fricker said.
Currently, the jail has 180 beds, with average detention populations in the low 200s. Prisoners are regularly sent to Buchanan County, Clinton County and other counties with available bed space. This comes at an additional cost to the county, not just room and board for the prisoner but also transportation to and from the Platte County Detention Center to the housing jurisdiction.
Fricker said one possibility to meet short-term housing needs could be the installation of secure jail pods adjacent to the existing jail facility, in a current parking lot.
A jail committee last year recommended construction of a multi-story addition housing an additional 312 new beds, to create a facility with 471 beds. Late last year, commissioners selected HMN Architects to design the new facility.
Fricker said the commission will get in touch with HMN to discuss the possibility of a smaller addition and to discuss other options.
A smaller sales tax question or a possible property tax increase could also be used to fund construction of a new jail. There are many options on the table, Fricker said, and right now commissioners are looking at them all.