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| Setback for county jail plans |
| By smdailyjournal.com - Michelle Durand |
| Published: 10/28/2011 |
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San Mateo County was not invited by the state to apply for up to $100 million in jail construction funds, money that could have covered more than half the building’s price tag and slash the ongoing debt. The California Department of Corrections notified local officials Wednesday that the county was not invited but could still apply anyway. The county ranked low in part because it was competing against other large counties and sends the fewest inmates to state prisons, said Sheriff Greg Munks. “I was very optimistic and now I’m very disappointed,” Munks said, saying the county was essentially “punished” for its size and incarceration rate. The county sends approximately 560 inmates to state facilities. Deputy County Manager Mary McMillan echoed disappointment low incarceration was the basis as well as the county competing in the “large county” categories. The top cutoff for medium size was 700,000 and San Mateo County has 738,000 people, she said. Munks and his jail planning team must now decide if it is worthwhile to still apply, in hopes the county will be next in line if one of the counties awarded funds drops out. Munks said he has been in touch with state legislators, the CDC and the state sheriff’s association for insight but has yet to make the decision. The state funds were never guaranteed and their absence should not derail plans for a $165 million, 576-bed jail, Munks said. “We always said anything would help lower costs but the approval of the jail was not linked to the funds,” he said. The Board of Supervisors, short of Supervisor Dave Pine, voted to direct Munks to move forward with a hybrid plan. The jail is yet to be designed but is tentatively described as three floors topped by 40 feet of unfinished space for future use as needed. Munks estimates it opening in 2014-2015. The jail is ballparked to cost between $145 million and $165 million to build followed by roughly $40 million in annual operating costs. Full state funding would shave up to 60 percent of the debt service. Initially, only those counties receiving a state invitation could file a full application but the state opened the process up to both categories shortly before the Oct. 21 letter of intent deadline. Heading into the process, county officials shared Munks’ optimism in large part because there was a plan and land in place. The county purchased parcels on Chemical Way in Redwood City for $17 million specifically to build a jail. “We really thought we were so well poised,” said Lt. Deborah Bazan of the jail planning team. Now that the county was declined, at least one supervisor thinks applying anyway could be foolish to spend the time and possibly money when it isn’t a front-runner. “It’s like applying to college. If I’m told I’m not getting into Stanford, I can still apply. But it doesn’t mean I’m getting it,” Pine said. Read More. |
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