September 30 , 2021 The Beacon • 11
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Meetings held to give information on justice center
Jen Jones
Sheriff Jim Crawford addresses the attendees of a town meeting that was held at River View High School on Sept . 21 . The town meeting was to share important information about a proposed 0.5 % sales tax to pay for a new justice center .
By Jen Jones
Town meetings were held at each of the three county high schools to share information about the proposed new justice center and to raise support for the 0.5 % sales tax levy that will be placed on the Nov . 2 ballot .
While most people seem to understand the current facility is outdated and overcrowded , it is not as easily understood how desperate the situation is . The current building was built in 1972 before the state issued guidelines on jails . Right now , by state guidelines , the jail can hold 15 inmates . The number of inmates has been more than 70 at times , and right now there are 35 . This opens the county up to liability issues if a staff person or inmate gets injured .
Coshocton County Common Pleas Court Judge Bob Batchelor said the county is nearing a critical problem . The county could be found to be “ deliberately indifferent ” to the situation at the jail . If a federal judge decides this , they could order the county to immediately build a new facility — one that could be twice as expensive as the proposed facility and one where county general fund money would be spent . “ A federal judge will take control of our justice center .”
Jail administrator Chip Udischas said the situation
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at the current facility is a huge liability on the county . Because inmates cannot be safely locked down , fights break out and inmates and deputies are injured . “ This adds up to more medical bills ,” he said .
Udischas also said the courts cannot hand out appropriate sentences because there is nowhere for them to be held . “ A new facility will mean less time out of secured areas for the inmates , and we will have more ability to control trouble makers ,” he said .
Sheriff Jim Crawford said the inmates will have less freedom of movement in the new facility . “ Our current facility is not designed for lockdown situations . The new facility we have proposed is not a Hilton Inn ; it ’ s not a Taj Mahal . The inmates are there for a reason . We need a place for the inmates , staff and deputies to be safe . The ability to lockdown will be amazing . The cells will be plain Jane — no TV . They will have the minimum state required recreation time — not the luxury of movement that they have now .”
The proposed justice facility will be located at the former Steel Ceilings location on North Third Street . The location was chosen for several reasons including the fact that four of the major utilities needed were already at the spot . It also is close to the court and the highway with no schools or churches near it . The location has been cleaned up ( local money was not used for that ) and is deemed safe . It also will be able to hold 80 inmates and be able to isolate them as needed for safety or medical reasons .
“ We have got to get to the right side of jail standards . We can ’ t continue to be noncompliant . We may not be able to find more funding ,” Crawford said .
He also shared that he believes Coshocton County will receive grant money for the new facility .
The proposed justice center is 40,000 square feet that could hold up to 126 inmates . The building will have 24 single cells , 24 dual cells ( which could be used as singles ) and 48 dorm-style beds . The site is owned by the Coshocton Port Authority and is almost 16 acres . Only about 7 acres will be used for the facility , as some of the lot is in a flood plain .
Commissioner Gary Fischer said the recent sale of 400 acres of county-owned land for $ 4.3 million has been dedicated to pay for the administration part of the new facility . The correction part of the facility will cost approximately $ 24 million .
To pay for the new facility , it was decided to add 0.5 % sales tax to the November ballot . This sales tax is only to be used for the construction of the justice facility and will drop off as soon as the loan is repaid . The county commissioners have secured a 25-year loan , but it is hoped that it will not take that long to finish paying for the facility . Grant money also has been applied for .
A sales tax was chosen instead of a property tax as it will reduce the burden on local residents . Anyone who makes a purchase in the county will help pay for the justice center . Tourism brings about $ 56 million annually to Coshocton County , and a sales tax guarantees part of that money will fund the new facility . Motor vehicles and outboard motors are not included in this sales tax .
The amount of money per sale breaks down to about 10 cents per $ 20 purchase or $ 1 on a $ 200 purchase .
Crawford would like to make it clear that this new facility is for the safety of not only the inmates and deputies , but also the community . There will be rooms for interviews , so privacy issues will no longer be a problem . The parking problem they have at the current facility will be resolved .
“ I want everyone to know this sales tax will go away as soon as the jail is paid for and that this is not going to be a fancy place for the inmates . We will be able to lockdown as needed to maintain safety for everyone . If anyone has questions , I welcome them to contact me ,” Crawford said .
For more information about the new justice facility , visit the Coshocton County Justice Center Facebook page .