At a work session Friday morning, Monroe County Councilors went over plans for a new jail between Bloomington and Ellettsville.
While reviewing renderings of the 400-bed facility, they discussed cost-saving measures, since the county lost some ability to sell bonds under a new state law. That includes installing some mechanical equipment on the roof instead of isolated rooms.
But since the legislature changed its fundraising law, building the jail could take longer and cost more, according to County Councilor Trent Deckard.
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“That's still going to exceed the bonding capability that we can do as a county anyway, because the state's basically told us you can't do anything other than buy some bubblegum next Friday and we're going to double check you on that,” Deckard said.
The bonding process is expected to start in January, with construction to begin in October of 2026 and end in mid-2029.
