The Monroe County Board of Commissioners is asking the County Council to pass a $200-million bond and income tax to fund a new justice facility.
Commissioner Julie Thomas said the county needs to construct a new jail to replace its aging downtown facility as well as co-locate judicial services to the same site.
Read more: Bloomington and Ellettsville chambers of commerce propose new jail site option
“These two things cannot be done, we believe, without the imposition of the statutorily allowed 0.2 percent and the bond of 200 million (dollars),” Thomas said at a work session.
She also rejected a community group’s proposal to repair the current facility, saying space limitations and safety concerns would be insurmountable.
Thomas said if the council fails to pass a bond at the statutorily allowed amount, it would risk under-sizing the jail or only partially co-locating other services.
Jail commander Kyle Gibbons also spoke at the session and shared concerns about the current costs of maintaining the downtown Bloomington site. He said the logistics of operating two facilities in different places would cost more in security, transportation and training.
“Just bottom line, it is so cost-ineffective that I personally — and the sheriff as well — we're a little surprised that we're talking about not co-locating,” he said.
Gibbons said that without the bond, he isn’t sure how the county could fund a new jail.
The requested increase would raise the Monroe County tax rate of nearly 2.04% to 2.2%.
Last week, the Bloomington and Ellettsville chambers of commerce asked Monroe County leaders to consider a new site for the county jail on the northwest side of Bloomington.
The county is required to build a new jail under a 2009 settlement agreement with the ACLU, which sued over overcrowded conditions.
