Residents oppose expansion of Bannock County Jail at hearing
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POCATELLO — Residents had a chance to voice their concerns about a new $18 million bond proposal for a Bannock County Jail expansion this week.
On Wednesday, residents gathered in the Bannock County Commission chambers to debate a bond. Most of the people who attended the public hearing opposed the bond.
The proposal is being made by the Bannock County Sheriff’s office to address consistent overcrowding in the jail. “I’m required to accept all prisoners — I can’t put up a no-vacancy sign. I also have to accept federal prisoners,” Bannock County Sheriff Lorin Nielsen told EastIdahoNews.com earlier this month.
During Wednesday’s meeting many of the attendees told commissioners they’re against an $18 million bond.
“You know, the money that we’re spending, the tax dollars, I think could be spent in a lot better ways,” resident Jeff Greenwell said.
The bond is anticipated to cover the cost of the 34,000 square foot expansion, adding 260 more beds. The jails current capacity is 264. If passed, the bond would cost residents $16.35 for $100,000 (with homeowners exemption) of property value every year.
Nielsen said he appreciated the public’s interest in finding alternatives to the jail, but his feelings on the expansion still stand.
“You will need a net, and that’s all that I wanted to get across, is that we need this net. It’s not a matter of, ‘We’ll put it off until we can afford it,’ we need it now,” Nielsen said.
Alternatives the public posed were incorporating weekend courts, or having a mental health facility, even using unoccupied buildings to house lower risk inmates.
The coordinator for the jail’s drug and alcohol program was the only person at the meeting who didn’t oppose the bond.
“I see from a day to day basis the problem with overcrowding, and from a drug and alcohol standpoint, we don’t have the ability to treat as many people as we could,” treatment coordinator Mike Beers said.
The commissioners will be taking public written comments for the next 60 days. The proposal must undergo a series of public hearings, before it is voted on in May.