CORVALLIS, Ore. — Benton County leaders plan to ask voters in November for money to replace the 40-bed jail in Corvallis with one that will have room for more than 100 inmates.
Jay Dixon, chairman of the Board of Commissioners, said the county intends to hire a public relations firm to educate voters on the need to replace a jail that has maintenance problems and inadequate space. A poll in October showed nearly half the 400 respondents believe the jail built in 1976 is in fair condition or better. Another large chunk of those surveyed — more than 25 percent — said they didn’t know what sort of shape it’s in.
“What they tell us is that people don’t know enough (at this point) to vote on the jail,” Dixon told the Corvallis Gazette-Times.
County voters have rejected previous attempts to pay for a new jail, defeating bond measures in 2000 and 2001. Instead, they have supported levies to cover the expense of renting up to 40 jail beds in neighboring counties, at a cost of roughly $1.1 million a year.
Even with the rented beds, many offenders are released early or avoid jail altogether because of inadequate space, law enforcement officials said. They also cite the lack of room for work release, education, skills training and other rehabilitation programs
“My goal for the jail is to provide the criminal justice system with some options for sentencing,” Sheriff Scott Jackson said. “Inside the jail, we need GED programs, we need job-skills programs.”
Plans call for a 110-bed jail with a 20-bed work-release center and space for training and rehabilitation programs, as well as room for medical and mental health treatment.
The amount of the bond measure would be set to cover both land and construction costs, Dixon said. “I think we’re looking at something less than $20 million,” he said.
The county is in preliminary discussions about buying property for the jail, with two sites under consideration, he said. One is at the Corvallis Municipal Airport Industrial Park and the other is a former lumber mill in Philomath.
