Livingston Dems Call for Better Roads, Not Bigger Jail

The general public has been shut out of any meaningful discussion of whether Livingston County needs a huge expansion of its jail so that it can take in federal inmates, Democratic candidates for county commission said Thursday.

They also questioned whether alternatives to sentencing have been adequately explored, whether the mechanism for financing the expansion is sound, and why the available cash being spent on the jail isn't being spent on fixing roads instead.

"The county commission has sought input from everyone with something to gain, but none from the citizens," said Mike Tipton, Howell Township trustee and candidate for County Commission District 5.

"I can't believe the commission would finance the construction totally from the Delinquent Tax Revolving Fund. Howell Township is no longer paying in to the fund. With the economy improving, payments from other townships into the fund may be declining, too. By funding it this way, the county's flexibility to handle any future emergency is limited and forget about any support for roads, sheriff's patrols or other important services."

Jim Delcamp of Genoa Township, candidate for County Commission District 7, said the commission was anxious to avoid any public discussion of the spending prior to the November election.

"They know it won't be popular. This is what you get when one party runs everything. They don't need to bother with the public," he said.

Delcamp said jail overcrowding needs to be handled by alternatives to jail sentences, especially for those with minor offenses such as failure to pay traffic tickets, but the jail committee has not provided any evidence that other alternatives are adequately being considered by the court system. "We have more people in prison as a percentage of our population than any other country. Isn't it time we look at other ways?" he asked.

Mentally ill people often end up in jail because there is no place else to put them, even though jail costs are more expensive than alternatives, he said.

The huge jail expansion also conflicts with federal crime statistics showing arrests in Livingston County have plummeted since 1997. According to crime statistics reported on the Michigan State Police website, the number of arrests in Livingston County in 2012 was only two-thirds of what it was in 1997. According to the state police website, 2,016 people were arrested in Livingston County in 2012 compared to 3,600 in 1997. "With that kind of a decline in arrests, it's hard to believe that such a big expansion is needed," said Lesa Doa of Marion Township, candidate for County Commission District 6.   

Jim Katakowski of Hamburg Township, pointed out that the plan to house federal inmates comes just when the federal government is trying to reduce its prison population. " Nationally we are looking to reducing the prison populations. Why not locally? Should that be a question up for discussion in Livingston county, remembering how expensive it is to incarcerate people in a prison while we build or add on to our jail? Let us do the right thing in our county," said Katakowski, candidate for County Commission District 8.

He noted that even Republican-run states such as Texas are now trying to reduce their prison populations.

Donald Pushies of Conway Township, candidate for County Commission District 4, noted that the jail was expanded in 1996, and in 2000 another 52 beds were added.  "Now, in 2014, anonymous jail officials quoted in the Press and Argus say the jail 'has been struggling with overcrowding for about 10 years,'  suggesting overcrowding began in 2010. We should be discussing other options besides adding beds, which is obviously a short term solution to a recurring problem.

"We certainly shouldn't be ramming through 14 million dollar expenditures to do it.  Just last month County Commissioners hadn't settled on how to pay for it.  The Commission sought an agreement to house 40 Federal inmates to help pay for the expansion at $85 dollars per. One Commissioner called it, 'a very beneficial revenue stream.' But, there is no guarantee we will fill 40 beds 100% of the time, and the agreement ends in 2017 anyway, just two years after the planned project completion.  That's two years shy of our historical need to solve overcrowding every 4 years.

"I agree with Sheriff Bob Bezotte that inhumane jail conditions are 'not right.'  The pictures he brought before the Board in December, that the Press and Argus somehow knew to file a FOIA request for, were appalling. One County Board member called them 'propaganda,' 'a ploy.' Maybe, the pictures did serve to speed things up and on Monday the Board will vote whether to approve without once getting meaningful public input on how their 14 million will be spent.

"There are many angles in regards to how best serve the public's interest when fulfilling our responsibility at the County Jail. It appears only one solution was ever considered which required unusual and hurried maneuvers to make it fly.  We've had a capacity problem since 2010. Why for so long, and what's the rush now?  Is the proposed scheme really best?  We can and we should do better."

The candidates also said:

 --The $6 million cash in the Delinquent Tax Revolving Fund could better be spent on fixing Livingston County roads than on a new jail. Roads are a much higher priority with the public than a huge expansion of the jail.

--The public deserves an explanation of why the cost of the bigger jail has gone up $1 million in recent months, from $14 million to $15 million.

--Part of the estimated $2.3 million yearly operating cost of the jail is being transferred to townships in the form of higher costs for road patrols. The county says it will be increasing the township share of road patrols from 62 percent to 75 percent of the cost.

(Paid for by Livingston County Democratic Committee, 10321 Grand River Road, Suite 600, Brighton, MI 48116. Printed in-house. Labor donated.)