Pressure mounts for vote on detention plans

SANDPOINT — Bonner County commissioners and designers of a plan to replace the juvenile detention facility and construct a work release center met Tuesday to try and clear up misconceptions about the proposal.

But pressure continues to build on commissioners to abandon all or part of the $10 million plan, or at least subject it to a vote of the people.

A number of residents, including sheriff’s and commissioner candidates, spoke out against the proposal during the board’s business meeting on Tuesday morning.

Cornel Rasor, the Republican nominee for the District 1 seat on the commission, said the public’s confidence in the board took a substantial hit when it imposed an EMS district on taxpayers without a vote of the public. Putting the detention facilities expansion before voters would help restore some of that confidence, he said.

“This is a huge decision,” said Rasor, who faces incumbent Democrat Todd Crossett in the general election.

Democrat sheriff’s nominee Larry Hanna and his general election opponent, Republican Daryl Wheeler, have teamed up to take exception with the work release component of the project.

“I’m totally against it. It’s not needed,” Hanna told commissioners.

Former sheriff’s candidates Tony Lamanna and Bill Litsinger also encouraged commissioners to either ditch the plan or let the public decide. Others recommended that alternative sentencing and other programs could alleviate the space crunch at the adult and juvenile lockups.

Under the proposal, Rocky Mountain Corrections and its partners would develop and construct a 32-bed juvenile detention and 60-bed work release center. The county would enter into a long-term lease of the facilities with an option to buy.

A vote on the proposal could be sidestepped because the facilities would be built and operated without a tax hike. But this method has taxpayers feeling disenfranchised from the process.

Both facilities would be sustained through fees and state contracts, according to the plan. In the work release center, excess bed space would be rented out to the Idaho Department of Correction to house inmates from the Panhandle who are about to complete their prison terms. Jail inmates with work release privileges would also be housed there, which would free up space in the adult jail. The juvenile jail would be funded by renting out beds to neighboring counties which have no such facility.

The county initially contemplated asking a judge to find that the facilities were an ordinary and necessary expenses. However, the county is now asking the court to verify the legality of the long-term lease.

Coeur d’Alene-based District Judge Charles Hosack is scheduled to consider the county’s petition during a hearing on Monday in Sandpoint.

In the meantime, commissioners are working to clear up misinformation about the project. A prevalent misconception, commissioners said, is that they have already voted to enact the proposal.

“No decisions have been made and no votes have been taken on these projects,” commission Chairman Lewie Rich said during a Tuesday afternoon workshop dedicated to busting myths about the proposal.

A final decision on whether a vote will be conducted is also pending, commissioners added.

Although the two facilities are wrapped into the same pitch, Commissioner Joe Young said they can be split into separate projects.

“It could be one or the other, or neither,” said Young, who faces Democrat Brian Orr in the general election.

The need for a new juvenile facility is obvious, according to county officials and those with knowledge of its limitations. But its necessity is still being questioned by some.

“We will eventually be closed down by the state,” said Crossett, referring to the substandard, four-bedroom facility created from a private residence.

If that happens, it’s estimated the county would have to spend $600,000 annually to shuttle juveniles to the regional facility in Coeur d’Alene. Debbie Stallcup, the county’s director of justice services, said that figure could exceed $1 million once manpower and transportation costs are factored in.

But the plan’s main selling points — no cost to taxpayers and the potential for turning a modest profit through fees and contracts — continue to arouse suspicion.

“It sounds too good to be true,” resident Phil Courtney said during the workshop.

Justice facilities expansion plan

Juvenile Detention Facility

? 32 beds

? Construction: $5.8 million

? Annual operating cost: $1.3 million*

? Current budget: $748,079

? Total fiscal impact: $566,858

? Total projected revenue: $761,445 ($194,587 profit)

Work Release Center

? 60 beds

? Construction: $4.6 million

? Annual operating cost: $715,260*

? Current budget: n/a

? Total fiscal impact: $715,260

? Total projected revenue: $864,500 ($149,240 profit)

* — Includes estimated annual lease payment for juvenile detention facility ($433,600) and work release center ($348,500)

SOURCE: Rocky Mountain Corrections, Lombard-Conrad Architects, Engelmann Inc.