The Blaine County Commission will formalize its decision to pursue funding for a new jail via a bond election on Dec. 5 when it is expected to pass a resolution authorizing the Feb. 6 election.
"I would like it if people would come in and talk about this next Tuesday," Commission Chairwoman Sarah Michael said yesterday. "This allows people to come in and make a comment."
The election, which would need the approval of two-thirds of the county electorate, would raise property taxes by less than $2 per $100,000 valuation. The average Hailey homeowner would see an increase in property taxes of less than $8 per year.
The general obligation bond would be about $10.5 million and have a life span of no more than 21 years. The majority of the bond would be paid back with the county's justice fund.
The proposed new 35,000-square-foot facility, which would include the sheriff's office and a new centralized dispatch center in addition to the jail, would cost about $13 million. It would be located at the Airport West light-industrial park in Hailey.
Earlier this month, Blaine County Sheriff Walt Femling presented the county commissioners with a slide show displaying the poor conditions that plague the existing, 34-year-old facility.
Hallways are narrow and cramped allowing inmates to grab guards as they walk by. Lighting and ventilation is lacking, and ceilings leak. The dilapidated state of the facility poses a safety hazard to inmates and jail employees alike, Femling said.
Bond issues to fund a new jail were rejected by voters three times in the 1990s, most recently in 1996. As a result, the cost of the new facility has escalated with rising construction costs.
Notice of the election will officially be posted in local newspapers Jan. 25 and Feb. 1.
The Dec. 5 meeting will begin at 11 a.m. at the Old County Courthouse in Hailey.
