Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Jail Project Transparency topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Residents say jail project is moving forward without public input, urge independent needs assessment
Summary
Residents at the Yates County Public Safety Committee meeting criticized the ad hoc jail committee for limited public access to meetings and records, and called for an independent needs assessment before the Legislature proceeds with construction planning.
Several residents told the Yates County Public Safety Committee they feel excluded from decisions about the proposed public safety facility and urged the Legislature to pause the project until an independent needs assessment is completed.
"The public is being kept from any and all conversations and decisions regarding the jail project," resident Barbara Craig said during public comment, arguing committees have declined to hold public meetings or provide minutes or recordings. Allison Stewart echoed that call, saying the county should "stop moving forward on this project until . . . an independent needs assessment that includes unbiased analysis" is completed.
Jack Ossent and Gene Mitchell pressed financial and procedural questions, including whether the county has demonstrated need for a facility as large as the one proposed (Ossent referenced a proposed 72-bed figure) and whether older reports and cost estimates given to consultants have been appropriately weighed. Mitchell said a 2023 evaluation he FOIL-requested has not been produced to him and noted nondisclosure agreements signed by contractors raised transparency concerns.
County officials and legislators responded that some aspects of the project are confidential for safety and operational reasons but said consultants are in a schematic design phase and that a public presentation will occur before any vote. "It is not a commitment at this point to proceed with a facility in any way, shape, or form," Doug Paddock said, describing the consultants' work to date as schematic design to develop cost estimates.
The committee did not take action on the project at the meeting; members later moved into executive session to discuss negotiations and security-related infrastructure.
