Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Jail Project topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Walsh County officials press ahead with jail plan, urge residents to attend town meetings
Summary
County commissioners and project leaders said they are pursuing Bank of North Dakota infrastructure loan money and holding community meetings and jail tours to explain the project and answer questions about financing and capacity concerns.
Walsh County commissioners and project staff said Tuesday they are stepping up public outreach and preparing financing options as they continue planning a proposed jail expansion. Officials scheduled two community meetings on April 14 — a 1 p.m. courthouse presentation followed by a jail tour, and a 5:30 p.m. meeting at the Minto community center — and urged residents to attend.
County officials said they are pursuing a combination of a county capital levy bond and up to $20 million through the Bank of North Dakotainfrastructure loan program, which carries a roughly 2% interest rate. Project leaders said recent legislative action refilled that loan fund but did not designate the new money specifically for jails, leaving the pool open to many types of projects.
The funding picture matters because Walsh County officials estimate the local capital projects levy portion that would back a county bond is limited to about $8.9 million and they proposed authorizing up to $10 million on the levy portion as a cushion. Separately, the county can apply for up to $20 million total through the Bank of North Dakota infrastructure loan program; the county is seeking to be "first in line" when the state disburses funds, officials said.
"We just want our citizens to know that we are doing everything we can to make sure that we can tap into those funds," said the county presenter leading the update. Officials repeatedly encouraged residents to attend the meetings and to take the jail tour, saying the site visits have helped some attendees better understand on-site conditions.
Project staff also described recent activity at the state legislature: a loan provision that supporters had hoped to make a dedicated jail loan was instead folded into the broader infrastructure loan fund. County leaders said the legislature increased the pool from $150 million to $200 million but refused to earmark the new money solely for jails.
Speakers at the meeting said the county is still preparing options if a full grant or designated jails program does not materialize. That could mean exploring cuts, tapping county reserves or otherwise reconsidering the project's scale, they said; no final decisions were made during the session.
Officials also sought to stamp out circulating falsehoods about real-estate purchases tied to the jail project, saying the county has not purchased the local Wells Fargo building and that rumor is inaccurate.
The county will also continue testifying before the legislature and hosting outreach meetings; officials said they will keep the public informed about any changes to grant eligibility, protest windows or timelines that affect the loan application process.
The county did not adopt or bind itself to a final financing plan at the meeting; commissioners said they are preparing for the next steps and want maximum flexibility to pursue options that become available from the state.
Ending: Commissioners said they intend to keep outreach and transparency front and center and asked board members to personally invite residents they think should attend the April meetings so community members can make informed decisions about the proposed jail.
