TIPTON – After approval of legislation and an initial vote to OK the taxes, Tipton County is inching closer to the final go-ahead to build a new jail.
The county council held a public information meeting Wednesday night regarding the details of the jail and procedure needed to enact the necessary taxes.
After the information session, in its regular meeting, the county council then voted unanimously to pass the first reading of the ordinance that would enact the tax.
“It’s been an effort of about 30 months for the community, elected officials and the jail committee,” county commissioner Joe Vanbibber said. “It’s been a good process that I think has got us to this point and allowed us to keep the community involved and informed. … That’ll be the tone moving forward, to keep the community involved with this.”
In mid-2014, the Tipton County Jail Feasibility Study Committee weighed whether to make repairs to the county's existing jail facilities or build a new one altogether.
The committee released its findings in Sept of 2014, and the message was clear: the county needs a new jail.
“The current jail is obsolete and not functional, and does not comply with state and federal regulations,” the committee said in its statement to local officials. “We recommend that the Tipton City Police Department and the Tipton County Sheriff’s Dept. be housed in one location. The name of the new facility should be the Tipton County Justice Facility.”
The legislation, House Bill No. 1339, was introduced by Rep. Tony Cook and referred to the Committee on Ways and Means on Jan. 13 and was ultimately passed this session.
The county is asking for permission to implement an addition county adjusted gross income tax of no more than .4 percent. The additional revenue from the tax may only be used to pay for the costs of financing a new jail, and specifies that the additional rate may only be imposed until the last of any bonds issued or leases entered into for the project are paid in full.
The bill also discusses Tipton County’s unique governmental and economic development challenges due to its heavy agricultural base.
Other issues with the current jail include overcrowding, inadequate line of sight supervision due to the configuration of the building, lack of adequate housing for the female population, and a lack of adequate administrative space. The 1983 add-on is essentially built like a fortress, and can be a maze to navigate. Little to no sunlight can get inside.
The study committee recommended a 60- to 75-bed jail with offices for both the sheriff’s and city police departments.
Where the jail might go was discussed Wednesday, and although those potential sites have been whittled down to two or three, the specific locations will be disclosed at next month’s county council meeting on July 21. Public officials didn’t want to discuss where the jail might go before the tax is approved.