PUBLIC VOTE ON A JAIL QUESTIONS MAY BE LATER THIS YEAR
Platte County commissioners on Tuesday, Feb. 20 entered into an agreement with an architectural firm for an initial phase of a potential expansion of the county jail.
The contract with HMN Architects, Inc. calls for a cost of the professional services not to exceed $195,000.
County commissioners have indicated a desire to seek a 320-bed expansion of the existing 180-bed jail, which would lift the county’s jail capacity to 500.
A bond issue to pay for the expansion would need to be approved by voters. No date for an election on such a bond issue has been established.
“The county commission continues to work with the sheriff’s department and others to study the jail problem. We are doing the work now so that we will be ready to make a decision in May whether to ask the voters for authority to expand the jail by issuing bonds,” Joe Vanover, district two county commissioner, told The Landmark in a recent conversation.
“Depending on the work of the next several months, the commission may delay the decision to August. If the vote of the people is to be taken in August, the decision by the commission to put it on the ballot is made in May,” Vanover said, referencing the time frame when an election question would need to be certified and sent to the Platte County Board of Elections.
Vanover added that if the plan is eventually to ask for voter approval on jail bonds at the November election, the decision by the commission and certification to the board of elections would take place in August.
The scope of services in the agreement with HMN Architects says: “The initial phase of the Platte County Detention Center expansion and modernization project will require the contractor to work with the county sheriff and county commission to evaluate the operational needs for an estimated 320 bed expansion and modernization of the existing 180 bed facility.”
According to the agreement, the planning phase shall include an evaluation of constructing a detention center expansion at or near the existing detention facility to facilitate the concept of maintaining a single campus setting to accommodate growth over the next two decades.
The conceptual design service will include things such as an assessment of the current facility’s condition; develop a space needs program; develop conceptual design from the space needs; provide an opinion of the probable construction cost and project budget for the approved conceptual design.
The scope of services also says that HMN will coordinate with the county’s finance counsel, provide public engagement services, provide appropriate graphics of the conceptual design for public presentation, develop renderings, models, virtual reality and other presentation materials required for public presentation, and attend public presentations.
Wes Minder, the county administrator, said at Tuesday’s administrative session that it is hoped an estimated construction estimate of what the 320-bed addition would cost will be available in May.
Vanover said in 2023 the county paid for an updated jail population study. He said the updated report shows the jail was over capacity throughout 2023.
“The report shows the average daily population and the high-low population of the jail. The average daily population for 2023 was 195 In each month in 2023, the jail hit at least one point where there were over 200 inmates,” Vanover remarked.
The 195 average daily population of the jail in 2023 is down by nearly 20 from the year 2022, when that number was 214.