Jefferson County voters have a big choice to make next week about the county jail.

They will decide whether to pass a 2.0 mill levy.

Thursday, the committee created to assess the jail troubles came to a conclusion.

They said the jail must stay open and the levy must pass.

The committee members said it's clear there are problems, but they don't come from department finances.

Spokeswoman Christine Hargrave said, “Our county jail is being run efficiently to house the prisoners. Our crime index is low. The sheriff is doing a good job and the workers are doing a good job."

Hargrave said the troubles stem from the facility itself, especially how the jail operates.

“The design of where officers observe prisoners is terrible,” said Hargrave. “They can't see them adequately."

Hargrave said the county can't rely on housing prisoners from other counties to bring in revenue because numbers aren't reliable.

Regarding alternative means of dealing with inmates instead of housing them, such as drug court, Hargrave said many such programs are already in place.

She said there still needs to be a county jail as a consequence.

“If we don't have a jail there, it's an idle threat and people won't comply with the programs.”

Whether the jail is forced to close, Jefferson County still owes $28 million for the building.

That's a debt the county cannot default on.

“That building is an asset and we have to operate it,” said Hargrave. “We're not shifting our eyes from the problems, but we're trying to create solutions."

Committee members said if the 2.0 mill levy on the March ballot fails, they will stay on task and try to convince voters to pass it again in November.

-Allison Latos, NEWS9

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