NEWS

August 22, 2007
Lee voters OK jail bond - $5.4 million bond issue sails to victory
with 84 percent in support

FORT MADISON -- Residents in Lee County have decided to buy rather than rent.

Voters in Lee County gave a resounding yes Tuesday to passing a $5.4 million bond referendum to help pay for $6.25 million in renovations and expansion of the Lee County Corrections Center.

An overwhelming 84 percent of those who cast a ballot voted yes and only 16 percent voted no, according to unofficial results.

The referendum received a majority of the votes in every ward with 100 percent of wards reporting in. In Keokuk's Ward 2A 100 percent of the 14 people who cast a ballot voted yes.

Only 11 percent of the county's about 25,000 voters turned out for the special election, and of the 3,843 people who voted, 490 residents voted absentee.

"The fact that we're getting over 80 percent shows people understood this is the lower cost alternative," said Supervisor Larry Kruse.

"When the people of Lee County understand the issue, they will support it and do what is best for the county," Kruse said.

"I think the key was both the community group and the sheriff's department did an excellent job of getting the information out so people could make an informed decision."

Members of the Citizens for Public Safety campaign committee along with deputy's and county officials held 35 meetings throughout the county to inform citizens on the issue.

Mark Lair of Fort Madison said he attended about 30 of those meetings, sometimes two or three a night. On his truck, he had signs urging people to vote yes in the election.

"I feel that the committee tried our best to get the information out there to the public," Lair said as he waited for the election results at the North Lee County office building.

After a recent inspection of the jail facilities, the state jail inspector informed county officials three trailers with a combination of 24 beds were no longer fit for use.

If the jail bond had failed to receive the 60-percent supermajority necessary for it to pass, the jail soon would have lost the trailers, and the county would have had to begin shipping inmates to other jails.

Building a new jail rather than transporting inmates to other counties could save taxpayers between $4.6 and $10.3 million over 15 years, according to information compiled by the South Iowa Area Crime Commission and Midwest Construction Consultants.

"I know there were people concerned about their taxes going up, but we were going to be stuck with (costs) one way or the other, and this way was cheaper then hauling them out of county. Plus, you had a jail to show for it when you were done," Lair said.

With the passing of the jail bond, Chief Deputy Jim Sholl said he hopes the state jail inspector will allow the trailers to stay until they have to be moved for construction.

The new pod-style jail will be constructed in the area where the trailers are being housed. While the expansion is being built, inmates will be moved to other parts of the jail, Sholl said.

As soon as the construction is complete, inmates will be moved to the new area so the old section of the center can be refurbished.

The refurbishing will solve many issues with the current jail including brittle electrical wiring, clog-prone plumbing and staff and inmate safety issues.

With the issue of funding resolved, officials will now begin to work on more detailed schematics, design drawings and construction documents for the 96-bed jail expansion and renovations, said John Hansen of MCC.

MCC was contracted by the board of supervisors to plan, develop and help in construction of the project.

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