Economy Puts County Jail On Hold
A struggling economy has put the brakes on Muskegon County MI’s quest to replace its aging, overcrowded jail — at least for now.
The Muskegon County Board of Commissioners voted 7-3 Tuesday to postpone asking voters to approve up to 1 mill of property taxes for 20 years to fund a new county jail and juvenile detention facility. The project carried a price tag of $23 million. Commissioners said voters were unlikely to approve a tax increase during one of the nation’s worst recessions since the Great Depression … “The need is still there,” said Ken Mahoney, chairman of the county board. “But we didn’t think this was the time to ask voters to pay more taxes” …
Muskegon County Sheriff Dean Roesler said he understands the board’s decision to drop the jail millage for now. But he said the jail can’t continue to operate in its current state for long. “It doesn’t change the fact that something has to be done about the jail,” Roesler said. For example, jail officials have been dealing this week with leaky pipes on the main floor, and the daily inmate report reflects over-capacity numbers “every single day,” Roesler said.
Muskegon County Prosecutor Tony Tague, a Democrat, on Friday blasted the proposals, the study and the officials who authorized it. “I find it amazing that our leaders in Lansing required a lengthy study to determine that the corrections budget would go down if we release all the prisoners,” Tague said. “Our leaders in Lansing have already given Michigan a one-state recession and the highest unemployment rate in the country. Now they want to make Michigan the most dangerous state in the country … Let’s get rid of the tennis courts, the television sets, and start making prison time hard time, and maybe people won’t want to return,” Tague said.