The Greene County Commission has an answer from the city of Springfield regarding its temporary jail proposal: No.
The
commission asked the city for $1 million a year over a three-year period to pay for a temporary facility to be erected on the lot east of the Greene County Jail and north of the commission’s office at 933 N. Robberson Ave.
In a letter postmarked June 23, Mayor Bob Stephens wrote City Council voted to decline the proposal. The county yesterday issued a news release announcing the city declined to partially fund the jail.
“We currently have a cost-effective, temporary jail solution in place and it is working efficiently,” Stephens wrote. “We currently have contracts with two counties and a transport company which are working well. The city intends to honor these contracts.”
In May, council voted to approve a contract with Southern Missouri Judicial Services LLC to transport inmates to the Taney County Jail and monitor those in custody at three holding cells at the city’s Battlefield Road police station. The city also has an arrangement with Miller County.
The mayor also wrote that litigation between the city and county is a continuing issue. The city filed suit last year after Sheriff Jim Arnott sent a letter to Springfield Police Chief Paul Williams stating the county would stop accepting municipal prisoners at the 1000 Boonville Ave. jail.
In its temporary jail proposal, the county proposed to pay $400,000 to $500,000 a year for the lease of the structure, as well as staffing, meals, medical services and other operational costs. The proposal guaranteed the city a minimum of 20 beds per day at the temporary jail with room for 100 to 150 inmates. The total cost is estimated at $1.5 million.
County officials said they now are faced with possibly sending inmates as far away as northeast Missouri.
“We believed this temporary jail facility was a viable and fiscally prudent option at this point,” Presiding Commissioner Bob Cirtin said in the release. “We asked the city to invest in this proposal because we needed their help and we want to house all prisoners here, including those on municipal charges.
“The commission will now consider building and leasing a temporary facility without financial assistance from the city. We have not budgeted for this expenditure and we will have to determine what the impact would be on the current budget, as well as future budgets.”
Commissioner Roseann Bentley said in the release it could be mid-December before a temporary facility is in place.
