Last week, Yellowstone County officials announced the measures that county voters will be asked to approve on the November ballot to build an addition to the Yellowstone County Detention Facility (YCDF), to alleviate overcrowding. The “ask” isn’t as much as earlier estimates suggested because the State has announced that they are going to expand the State facility in Deer Lodge, which will alleviate much of the pressure on YCDF, said County Attorney Scott Twito, in making the announcement before the County Commissioners.
The County will be asking voters to approve a bond for a $175 million over 20 years to add 320 new beds. Also on the ballot will be a request to impose an annual levy for $20 million to meet operational needs – food, medical, maintenance, utilities, etc.
By law, said Twito, both measures have to be on the ballot. If one fails so does the other.
Past projections often mentioned that the likely cost to expand the jail by 512 new beds would be $225 million.
Much of the reason for the overcrowding at YCDF is because the county must hold state prisoners because there is no room at the state facility. On average the county jail could be holding as many as a hundred state prisoners a day waiting to be transferred to the state prison. In total the jail population has routinely hit over 600 and sometimes higher than 650 daily, in a facility designed to house 434.
The really good news, said Twito, is “the state’s timeline fits with ours.”
The estimated cost for property taxpayers in paying for the $175 million bond is $23 a year on a $100,000 house, $70 a year on a $300,000 house and $156 a year on a $600,000.
The estimated cost of taxes for the $20 million in annual operational costs will be $36 a year on a $100,000 house, $108 a year on a $300 house and $256 a year on a $600,000 house.
County Commissioners will hold a public hearing on March 31, 9 am, to approve the … Read full story here.
