Resident raises concerns over regional jail talks; county officials say no site or plan chosen

A resident told the Cumberland County Board of Commissioners during public comment that a county agreement to join a regional jail project with Camden County was negotiated without public consultation.

"The county commissioners have signed an agreement with Camden County to be one of at least two counties ... to go into a regional jail project," Sandy Asivito of Upper Deerfield Township said, and she said the agreement was signed "without knowledge, consultation, referendum, public hearings, or any input from the taxpayers of Cumberland County." Asivito said most information she has seen came from online news articles and asked whether county representatives had met with Camden County officials and whether Cumberland County could be chosen as the jail site.

A county official who answered the question said representatives from Cumberland County, the county director, Camden County Director Capelli and Camden administrators, and representatives from Atlantic County and the Cumberland County Improvement Authority attended recent meetings. The official said the gatherings were fact-finding and that "there is no plan, there's no site at this time," adding that no new agreements have been entered into and that previous agreements obligating counties to explore a regional jail remain the starting point for discussions.

"We're exploring our options," the county official said, and emphasized the county had not selected properties or finalized plans. Director Taylor also told the board the county was trying to be transparent and explore options "to make the best decisions for the residents of Cumberland County."

Asivito pressed for detail on whether the public would be included in future decisions and whether any meetings had been held with county officials beyond what she had read. The county official said the meeting participants were primarily county representatives and regional partners and that the meeting did not produce definitive site or design decisions.

The exchange closed without the board taking any new formal action on the regional jail; the official framed the current phase as exploratory fact-finding rather than a binding commitment or a final siting decision.

Next steps: no vote or further action was recorded at the meeting; commissioners indicated they are examining options and will bring proposals to the board for future consideration if and when there is a specific plan.