The long search for the location of Monroe County’s next jail could end in August.
Commissioner Penny Githens said the county could finish studies and predesign work for a property near the I-69 and State Road 46 bypass within a month or two.
She said failing to choose a site quickly would bring significant costs.
“We can't move forward without it,” Githens said. “We can't move forward on the design. We can't move forward on the other things.”
Read more: Sheriff says ‘If we do not move, we’re going to pay the price’
Purchasing that land would cost around $11 million. That’s more than the other sites commissioners considered, but factoring in the cost of delays it would be around a third as much as building on the Thomson property that was being considered, Githens said.
The county is required to build a new jail after a settlement agreement with the ACLU in 2009, citing overcrowded conditions.
