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Lincoln County moves to buy state-owned jail for $1; approves 2025 budget for most departments
Summary
Commissioners voted to buy a state-owned jail for $1 to enable additional state funding for refurbishing the facility into a regional women’s jail and treatment space, and approved the county’s 2025 operating budget for departments other than the treasurer’s office.
The Lincoln County Board of Commissioners voted Jan. 13 to purchase a state-owned jail from the state for $1 so the county can receive an additional round of state construction funding. Commissioners also approved the county’s 2025 budget for all departments except the treasurer’s office, after county finance staff said they conducted a detailed line-by-line review.
Why it matters: the purchase enables the county to accept state money earmarked for construction and refurbishment, and the facility is intended to serve as a regional jail for women and a treatment and transition space operated in coordination with local courts and regional partners.
In roll-call votes, the board authorized the purchase and gave the county administrator (the chair) authority to sign necessary documents. Commissioners said the state could not award funding to itself, so the county must become the property owner to receive the award.
County officials described the planned use: the three-story building’s upper two floors would house inmates, and the lower floor would be used as a treatment or transitions space connected to local court programs. Chief Deputy Leif Bickel was singled out at the meeting for his role in negotiating and leading the effort with state partners.
The county’s budget officer presented the 2025 operating budget in two parts. For all offices except the treasurer, the board approved planned expenses of $17,817,896. The presenter said planned revenue was stated in the meeting as "16,000,968,748"; that figure appeared inconsistent with the other numbers discussed and was not clarified during the session. Commissioners noted the budget includes a $1.2 million allocation intended to cover start-up costs for the jail project, and finance staff said prior-year unencumbered balances would partly cover the shortfall between revenues and expenses.
County officials said they expect the jail renovation to require additional work but projected it could produce revenue for the county by housing inmates from other counties. The presenter said, if the board approved the purchase and subsequent work proceeds on schedule, the county could potentially move into the refurbished facility within about 18 months.
The commission postponed final action on the treasurer’s office budget line pending staff identification of the correct line items and asked to reconvene briefly to confirm the treasurer’s figures. The board recessed briefly while staff pulled the treasurer’s portion of the consolidated budget spreadsheet for further review.
No formal timeline for the state funding disbursement was provided at the meeting; commissioners said the state had indicated a further round of funding but that the county must own the property to accept it.
