ANDERSON — The Madison County Council has approved spending $5.4 million for the construction of a new county jail.
The Council Tuesday approved the request of the Madison County Commissioners to begin the process to construct a 450-bed facility.
The $5.4 million is the amount raised annually by a income tax approved last year to pay for the jail, which has an estimated cost of $87 million.
The request was approved by a vote of 7-to-2 with councilmen Mikeal Vaughn and Fred Reese casting the no votes.
This week the commissioners awarded a contract in the amount of $1.8 million with RQAW to design the facility.
John Richwine, president of the Madison County Board of Commissioners, said the county owes no money at this time and only the one contract has been approved. Vaughn made a motion to approve only the $1.8 million, which was seconded by Reese. That motion was not voted on because it was amended to pay the full amount.
“Everything will go through a process,” Richwine said. “We will accept the lowest and best bids.”
He said additional costs this year will be to get an appraisal and purchase property, site development work and engineering costs.
Vaughn said the jail will ultimately cost $100 million and that he was going to watch all of the spending.
Richwine said the county can’t raise $100 million for a jail and the actual costs are not known at this point in time.
RQAW did a jail feasibility study that was completed earlier this year. The company recommended the county construct a new jail for 400 to 450 beds with room for expansion. Eric Weflin with RQAW said the county would need to acquire up to 20 acres of land for the facility.
He recommended a new jail be at least 106,000 square feet with a possible 15,000-square-foot expansion, which is twice the size of the current jail.
Weflen said the county could build one unit of 250 beds and one control room and a second unit with 150 beds with room for a 100-bed expansion.
In other business, the council approved a resolution providing $162,000 in food and beverage tax revenues for the city of Alexandria to pay the costs to demolish a building at 115 W. Church Street that collapsed.
Jerry Bridges, executive director of the Madison County Council of Governments, said two similar appropriations were approved for Elwood and Alexandria previously.
The resolution requires the repayment of the funds from any insurance proceeds.
Bridges said no funds have been recovered in the past.
Officials said the owner of the building can’t be located and the building has already been demolished.
© 2024 Community Newspaper Holdings, Inc.