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be able to do,” said White.
One of the county’ s largest projects moving into 2026 is the expansion of the Whitley County Detention Center. The $ 10 million construction project will add 100 beds, including 90 for general population and 10 isolation cells, along with office space and a modernized recreational and multipurpose area.
“ They do this really neat thing in modern jail buildings,” White said.“ It counts for outdoor recreation for the Department of Corrections, but it can be closed up so they can have church services or GED classes and do other
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programming.”
With the proposed new outdoor recreation center, with the expansion, it can also serve as an indoor area with the way it is being constructed.
White said the expansion is especially important as detention center leadership continues to push programming aimed at rehabilitation and preparing individuals for reentry. With inmate medical costs and operational expenses rising statewide, the county is also advocating for legislative relief.
“ Jail costs are the biggest single issue counties face,” White said.“ Pre-COVID,
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we were spending about $ 1.6 to $ 1.7 million a year. Now, it’ s around $ 3 million. If you think about what we could do in our community with $ 3 million a year— how many ambulances, how many roads, how much equipment— that affects all of us.”
White recently addressed the issue at a statewide county judges’ conference, calling current legislative efforts the most comprehensive review of county jail funding he has seen during his tenure. He said counties remain fully responsible for inmate medical care, while state reimbursement rates have increased only once in nearly
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20 years.
Public safety was also tested earlier this year by a major fire in downtown Williamsburg that destroyed four buildings along Main Street. White praised the response from approximately 14 fire departments— many of them volunteer— who worked under extremely dangerous conditions.
“ They were spraying water in freezing temperatures, ice forming under their feet, trying to scatter salt while responding,” White said.“ Fortunately, nobody was seriously injured, and that’ s a testament to their dedication.”
The judge also highlighted
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