by Stephanie Croston

    After a comparison study, Dan Williamson of Williamson Consulting recommended that Seward County keep a jail.
     Williamson presented his needs assessment and feasibility study to the Seward County Commissioners April 10.
     Williamson's latest study compiled potential costs to the county if the jail were closed completely or if it were simply a holding facility, keeping prisoners for 24 to 96 hours. Earlier studies looked at inmate population trends and the amount of space that would be needed for a new facility.
     The main advantage to becoming a holding facility is that fewer amenities would be required, he said. However, it would be more expensive because transportation costs and staffing would increase.
     If the jail were closed, the county would still be required to transport prisoners, track inmates in other jails and arrange for transportation to and from court, medical appointments and other activities. Staff would still have to be available 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
     "This is a very staff intensive process, and the sheriff would have to have a sizable transportation unit," Williamson's report said.
     The sheriff's department budget would include staffing and related expenses, as well as replacing a transportation vehicle every two years or so, William-son told the commissioners.
     His transportation cost estimates were conservative because he didn't calculate inflation. He inflated the budget 4.5 percent annually.
     Based on his calculations, he said, the county would spend approximately $39.5 million for prisoner housing and related costs by the year 2026.
     "Closing the jail is not a feasible option," Williamson said. "You have gotten every cent out of the jail you can get. The tough part is deciding what you want to do."
     The jail has been studied since 2004, said Larry Bonner, chair of the 11-member jail committee. That committee was formed to determine options for the county jail, which was built in the 1970s.
     "We knew things were going on," Bonner, a former county commissioner, said. "When I was a commissioner, we were boarding prisoners for other counties because we had the space."
     Today, Seward County sends prisoners to other facilities because the county jail is full.
     "You could see the trend. We just needed to put figures and numbers with it," Bonner said.
     He said Williamson's conclusions were not surprising based on those trends.
     "There will be some decisions that have to be made. Unfortunately, they all cost money," he said.
     Seward County Sheriff Joe Yocum was not surprised with Williamson's findings. He told the commissioners four years ago that the trends suggested that Seward County needed a bigger jail.
     "The numbers keep creeping up and up," he said April 16, adding that each prisoner housed outside the Seward County Jail costs taxpayers $55 per day.
     When transportation costs are added into that, the $39 million figure did not seem outlandish, he said. He cited March 26, when Seward County conducted 19 prisoner transports. The farthest away were Blair and Kearney, Yocum said.
     "That's the most we have done," he said, adding that other days have seen transport numbers in the teens.
     Staffing has also increased since Yocum started in 1988. At that time, the sheriff's office had six sworn staff, and there were 5.5 correctional officers. Today, the sheriff's office has 12 sworn staff, and there are nine correctional officers.
     As the numbers of arrests and sentences rise, Yocum said, the logistics of transporting prisoners from outside facilities become more complex. One thing he would like to see if the county builds a new facility is the availablity of video conferences, an option that would help cut down on transportation costs.
     Space is another issue to consider, he said. The current jail building houses the correctional facility, the sheriff's office and the communications center.
     "You try to consolidate to save money, and sometimes that becomes the issue," Yocum said, adding that space is something the courthouse is lacking, as well.
     The next step for the commissioners would be to hire an architect to provide a concept plan for a new jail facility and then determine possible bond options.