The city of Sun Valley unanimously endorsed the plan for a new county jail, sheriff's office and 911-dispatch center Wednesday, Dec. 13.
The $13 million, 35,000-square-foot project would replace the 34-year-old complex that, according to Blaine County Commissioner Tom Bowman, no longer "meets safety standards nor the county's administrative needs."
The resolution supports a bond election to be held Feb. 6, 2007. The election will ask county voters whether the county should borrow money to pay for the project. The amount to be borrowed is estimated at $10.5 million, to be repaid over 21 years.
The county is pledging to repay 71 percent of the expense from revenues in the County Justice Fund, Bowman said. The balance, to be paid using money collected through the bond, is estimated to be less than $0.02 per $1,000 of assessed value of property.
Sun Valley Police Chief Cam Daggett strongly endorsed the project.
"The (current) jail is embarrassing. I am whole-heartedly in favor a new jail," Daggett said.
One of the major concerns presented by Heather Saunders, assistant jail administrator, and echoed by Daggett, is the fact the jail is used as a holding cell for people who have been arrested, but who have not been proven guilty of any crime.
"These are our fellow citizens and they are being put in deplorable conditions," Daggett said.
The new facility would be placed on three acres in the Airport West Subdivision in Hailey, Bowman said.
"The property was bought 10 years ago for $150,000 for the specific purpose of building a jail," he said.
The current facility was built when there were only 17 employees. Today, 50 employees patrol the halls of the cramped facility. The new jail would be built so that no additional officers or support staff would be needed.
"It is incumbent upon us as elected officials to express the importance of this to our constituents," said Sun Valley Councilman Nils Ribi. "This is the type of thing we ought to be supporting."
Councilman Blair Boand agreed and made a motion to immediately adopt the resolution. Time is of the essence because city and county officials are concerned that with construction costs rising rapidly, the jail could end up costing more than currently anticipated if construction is not allowed to begin in the spring of 2007.
