Julie Thomas, president of the Board of Commissioners, shared that sentiment at two meetings held last week on a potential site for a new jail.
“We'll need the sheriff's (office) and the council to sit down together to talk through the cost of land, the cost of building, the size of the facility that they want,” Thomas said at a Wednesday meeting.
Julie Thomas at a June 2 jail listening session (George Hale, WFIU/WTIU News)
Thomas said making these decisions is a long-term goal. She added that, in the short term, the commissioners must decide where to build the jail.
Disagreement over who makes which decisions
The idea that the council and Sheriff would decide the jail’s size came as a surprise to council members.
Kate Wiltz, who represents District 2 on the council, said her understanding has been that the commissioners would decide on the new jail’s size.
“I don't think I was the only person surprised to hear that the council was supposed to be working on establishing a bed count for this new facility,” Wiltz told WFIU/WTIU News. “I believe it was pretty clear to everyone involved that the commissioners would be determining the scope of the physical project, and we would be looking at financing.”
Kate Wiltz (Provided)
Wiltz said she has questions about how the council would make this decision because its members do not regularly meet with project consultants, as the commissioners do.
“That seems to be a disadvantage,” she said. “We don't have updates regularly from them (and) we aren't privy to the information that they are gleaning from all of the different departments and — I assume — the sheriff’s office, as they go through their interviews. That's something that I would like to see change so that we could have that information.”
Council President Trent Deckard also told WFIU/WTIU News he believed the commissioners would choose the jail’s size.
“Our role is fiscal,” Deckard said. “The council will determine the cost, how we pay for this, and where (funding) would come from.”
Trent Deckard (Provided)
Indiana Code says the county executive (the commissioners) are responsible for establishing and maintaining a county courthouse, a county jail, and public offices for the clerk and Sheriff among other county offices.
The county council is responsible for affixing tax rates and appropriating county funds and the Sheriff is responsible for the care and custody of inmates within the county jail, according to state code.
Cockerill said the number of beds is a huge driver of facility cost, adding, “The size of it — that is as much a function of budget and operations as anything else.”
Phil Parker, chief deputy with the sheriff's office, wrote in an email to WFIU/WTIU News, "From the Sheriff’s Office perspective, it is clear who 'establishes' the jail and who 'takes care' of the jail. ... Indiana statutes clearly indicate the county commissioners 'establish' the jail. This would include the final approval, subject to funding, of the size, location and design of the jail."
Paker added, however, that Marté and his team are uniquely qualified to make recommendations for every aspect of the new jail, including location, size and design.
"We fully expect those qualifications to carry substantial weight," Parker wrote.
Thomas did not respond to a request for an interview before this story's publication.
Sheriff Marté has said he wouldn’t want to fill all 450 to 500 beds if the county accepted RQAW’s recommendation. However, he added a new jail must have more space than the current one to separate inmates based on factors such as severity of crimes, gender identity, and mental health and medical needs.
Wiltz said she understands Marté’s perspective and is open to discussions but thinks the jail should not have more than 400 beds, despite RQAW’s recommendation.
“I felt like the resolution that we passed last year was a really great step in kind of outlining points we can agree on,” she said. “I understand that concept of ‘we need more beds than we're going to fill.’ At the same time, I'm not quite sure 500 is where that needs to be.”
How much will a new jail cost?
RQAW’s study estimates the cost between $91.5 to 106.3 million, but DLZ, the firm the county commissioners chose to design a new jail, estimates it will cost between $142 to $152 million. Thomas has said DLZ is fine-tuning that range, but she believes DLZ’s estimate is more accurate.
Where will the jail be built?
The purpose of last week’s meetings was to gather public input on the land they’re now considering as a possible jail site.
The conversations focused on the North Park property, land outside Bloomington and northwest of Interstate 69 and the State Road 45/46 bypass. The land is owned by Steve Crider of Crider & Crider.
The North Park property (WFIU/WTIU News)
The commissioners and DLZ have said the county will need at least 25 acres for a new jail. That estimate is not just for the jail itself, but for a “justice complex” with a co-located prosecutor’s office, public defender’s office, community corrections, probation and more.
Until recently, the commissioners were considering the former RCA/Thomson plant site — a county-owned property on Bloomington’s southwest side — as a possible jail site. They announced in late February that they had abandoned it as a possibility after discovering issues they say could further extend the project at the expense of several million dollars.
Other local officials have heavily criticized the commissioners for what they say is a lack of progress on the project and for not finding a site within Bloomington.
But the commissioners say North Park has better traffic access than the former Thomson site and will not require rerouting of utilities.
Thomas has said the county may approach Bloomington Transit to discuss transportation options to and from the site if the commissioners decide to use it for a jail.
Appraisals to determine the cost of acquiring the property are still being completed, according to Thomas.
