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Overcrowded county jail needs top priority |
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Friday, 19 September 2008 |
At this week's supervisors' meeting, Mono County Supervisor Vikki Magee Bauer expressed concern over the capacity issues facing the Mono County Jail. “We keep looking away from the problem yet we have money in the capitol improvement program to handle this,” Bauer said.
Supervisor Bill Reid was hesitant to continue discussions on the possibility of a new jail without the input of Supervisor Hap Hazard who was on vacation at the time.
“As far as tapping into capital improvement monies I can't support that at all and am bothered by some assumptions that have been made that we need a new jail and that the jail has to be in south county,” Reid said. “We have to work closely with the Board of Corrections and to have this brought up at the eleventh hour after we already had our budget talks doesn't work for me because any decision on the jails will have far reaching impacts on this county.”
Supervisor Byng Hunt said that south county growth is adding to the pressure of the capacity of the existing jail facility. “We need to do a comprehensive needs assessment because the demographics in Mammoth Lakes have shown that the need for more jail space is inevitable.”
County Administrative Officer Dave Wilbrecht confirmed that the county will be doing some preliminary work by meeting with Mono County law enforcement and a Board of Corrections representative. “We are going to assess the next step in providing the county with additional jail facilities,” Wilbrecht said. – SP
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Last Updated ( Monday, 22 September 2008 )
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