The DeKalb County Commission is facing some hard choices when it comes to the DeKalb County Jail. For years the county has been warned that inadequacies at the current jail would result in a portion of the facility being shut down, with the number of overall inmates that it could house being reduced.
According to Tennessee Corrections Institute (TCI) standards, the existing DeKalb County jail can now house no more than 52 inmates (16 females and 36 males) to remain certified by the state and none of the prisoners can be kept in the basement of the older portion of the jail building. All but two prisoners currently in the jail are males.
Since the announcement, several inmates have been relocated to other jails, but that has resulted in the county is having to pay up to $55 per day for each inmate. Sheriff Patrick Ray is warning that over a year’s time, that cost could balloon to well over half a million dollars.
The time has come for the county to act, but what course should the government take? Should the county add on to the current jail with limited space and property to expand on, or should it build a new jail in another location? With that, some have suggested building a Criminal Justice Center, combining the Sheriff’s Department, Jail, Courtrooms, and offices in one space.
The problems? Where should it be located and how does DeKalb County pay for it.
The County Commission made its first steps to tackle the problem at a Jail Committee meeting on Monday, September 18. It was then that some options were discussed and feedback was given by some elected officials. The consensus seems to lean towards building a criminal justice center, but then the problem becomes where, and more importantly how to pay for it.
During the meeting County Mayor Matt Adcock offered at least one proposal, identifying 38 acres of property just off Anthony Avenue, near the Smithville Walmart. Mayor Adcock reported that he contacted the owner of the property, Peggy Hayes, saying she is willing to talk about selling the land, but she wants the county to make an offer. The property is currently open farmland once owned by Hayes’ father, the late Rex Hayes.
According to Mayor Adcock, the property is large enough to accommodate a criminal justice center, with options for expansion, along with space for possible future county facilities such as a new health department.
After consulting with Bell Construction, who have designed and built other criminal justice centers, Adcock’s recommendation would be for a criminal justice center with four courtrooms, offices, sheriff’s department, and a jail with 225 beds. The project is estimated at over $50 million.
“I asked [Steve] Bates to project a little more than that to give us some cushion room, so he is working up a financial plan for $55 million. That doesn’t mean we have to spend $55 million,” Adcock said.
Next came how to fund such a project, with a wheel tax and/or a property tax increase proposed. “I got Ben Rodgers of CTAS (County Technical Assistance Service) to do a wheel tax assessment for me. If we decide to do a $50 wheel tax it would accumulate $1.1 million a year with the number of registered vehicles we have right now. If we double that $50 to a $100 wheel tax it would double the revenue to $2.2 million. The debt payment on this would be around $3 million a year but after talking to Steve (Bates) once we get the bond there is interest that is earned that can go back toward the debt. It’s a 30-year loan and it could be refinanced at any time,” County Mayor Adcock explained.
The issue of building another elementary school was also brought up, with some saying that both projects should be considered, but that additional $50 million project would mean increasing a possible wheel tax to $200 per vehicle with a possible property tax increase as well. But some pointed out that that would tie up bonds for 30 years leaving the county vulnerable should other issues arise, and with falling school attendance for the past 13 years, some questioned the need for a new school.
“What we have to think about and what we will have to ask the taxpayers is whether they want to pay $200 a year for a wheel tax if they have two vehicles or maybe more in property taxes. Either way we will have to fund the project,” Adcock continued.
According to Adcock, the county commission could enact a wheel tax by two thirds vote on a first and second reading following a public hearing. If a public petition is presented with the required number of valid signatures, it could force a public referendum as a ballot issue during an election.
The jail committee made no decisions during the meeting, but at the Commission’s regular monthly meeting on Monday, September 25, the commission approved a $3,500 budget amendment to pay for an appraisal of the 38 acres in question.
During the public comments portion on the Commission meeting, former commissioner and now Smithville Elementary School Principal, Anita Puckett, addressed the meeting stating that she worried the commission was putting the needs of inmates over the needs of local students in the county.
“I was selected to be part of the committee formed to rectify the many issues with the jail back in 2019,” Puckett said. “The commission knew if something was not done soon, the state would be involved. My concerns are that with the delay in movement on a new facility, the state will come in and tell DeKalb County what to build.”
“I am here tonight to plead with the commission to reconsider action on the proposed new school construction that was presented back in October, 2022,” said Puckett. “The architectural plans have been submitted, the land paid for and TDOT traffic studies completed. The thought of $50 million being spent on 85 inmates for a justice center as opposed to $50 million to be spent on 525 students is appalling. The students of DeKalb, the future of our county deserve to be regarded with our utmost importance,” she said.
“As a commissioner, I had shared my thoughts on the repurposing of Smithville Elementary School after a new elementary school was constructed. The school’s site is in a perfect location within the city limits. The land is paid for, the grounds are large enough for future expansion. It offers a fully functioning cafeteria, a gymnasium, outside recreation area and library if desired. The front of the building will need to be completely remodeled for a more desirable office space for the Sheriff. The idea that Circuit Court Clerk Susan Martin would join a justice center would be ideal. Instead of purchasing new properties, I ask the commission to be wise and reconsider the construction of a new school with the intention to repurpose the existing Smithville Elementary School for a Justice Center. Again, I stress the thoughts of $50 million being spent on 85 inmates for a justice center as opposed to $50 million to be spent on 525 students is simply appalling,” said Puckett.
Mayor Adcock responded saying that nothing has been decided as to whether a criminal justice center will be built and where it may be located. He said the county is just looking at options at the moment.
Adcock also reported that a preliminary walk through of the Smithville Elementary building has been conducted, and according to engineers, the cost of refurbishing and adding on to the current SES building to convert it into a criminal justice center would also be $50 million, the same as building a new facility.
“We want to maybe look at building a facility, but the county commission has not made a decision on what they want to do yet as far as a criminal justice center, new jail, or even doing the project at all. It is still in the very preliminary stages,” said Mayor Adcock. “There was some talk about a way to fund the project and the commission has done well in doing their due diligence into looking at every solution out there. I have talked with them about a wheel tax or property tax to see what the best for the citizens of DeKalb County (in funding a project) would be, but no decisions have been made at this time.”
“We did look at one piece of property (Hayes property) just because the property owner had reached back out to me,” Adcock explained. “That is the only reason we looked at that one certain property at our jail committee meeting last week. That too is not certain. We don’t yet know where we are going to build the facility if we do build the facility, we are looking at multiple lots all throughout the city limits as well as every single option and revenue source”.
Terry Bailey of West Broad Street also addressed the commission saying, “We are also looking at 38 acres and that is ridiculous for a justice center or a jail. The City of Lebanon has a Wilson County Jail and seven and a half acres and justice center and 455 beds. They (Wilson County) have a population of 150,000. We (DeKalb County) have a population of 20,000. There is no reason to have that size of a facility and use that land for a justice center that could be developed into housing. I think a school is an excellent idea but there is also land around the jail. I would also like to see what could be done with the existing jail. If offices or facilities could be moved to the basement, the upstairs could be turned into jail cells. $55 million dollars with a 30-year mortgage? Come on! We can’t afford that. Something has to be done,” said Bailey.
County Mayor Adcock responded saying, “the county commission has never said it would buy 38 acres. We were looking at a piece of property that happened to be 38 acres. We did mention that it would be a good future investment if we had the additional revenue to have a large piece of land that you could build things on for the next 50 to 100 years whether it be future libraries, health departments, etc. but we never did make a decision on where we were building, what location. We have talked about building on South Mountain Street, the 38 acres of the Hayes property, and property the city industrial board owns, but no decisions have been set in stone anywhere, and not even on whether we will build a criminal justice center. We’re not even saying we would build one before we built a school,” said Adcock.
