The Monroe County Council and Commissioners decided not to send a letter to the state legislature for help funding a new jail.
During a joint meeting last week, council and commission members cited reasons such as a lack of simplicity and the low likelihood of lawmakers actually reading the letter anytime soon.
Instead, they will focus on how to proceed with the jail project under a limited budget.
The county is required to improve its jail after being sued by the American Civil Liberties Union of Indiana over poor conditions.
The letter to lawmakers was intended to urge them to amend a new state law, Senate Enrolled Act 1, allowing the county to issue debt to fund the over $200 million project. The current law limits how much debt local governments can issue.
Commissioner Jody Madeira said the letter should be focused on obstacles the legislature has created that affect building a new jail.
“It's not meant to address basically every particular pernicious detail,” Madeira said.
Council member David Henry shared his concerns about the unlikely chance of the letter being considered at this time of year after speaking to state representative Dave Hall. The legislature isn’t in session again until January.
“My impression is that at this point, a letter that goes into great depth, asking for the changes in SEA One … would not be read or received by anybody in Ways and Means,” Henry said.
The estimated cost for the new jail has been over the budget of $225, reaching close to $260 million at one point.
