SPRINGFIELD, Mo. (AP) - Greene County officials say they’ll be able to receive Springfield municipal inmates at the county jail once again if the city contributes $3 million to build and lease a temporary facility.
Presiding commissioner Bob Cirtin asked the city to pay $1 million a year for three years Tuesday, the Springfield News-Leader (https://sgfnow.co/25gXINJ ) reported.
The facility would be able to hold up to 150 inmates. At least 20 beds each day would be held for offenders arrested on Springfield municipal charges.
Cirtin said the county would plan to use the temporary structure for up to five years as a short-term solution to an ongoing overcrowding problem at the Greene County Jail.
In the meantime, he said officials would find ways to increase the current jail’s capacity and more efficiently move prisoners through the justice system.
Greene County Budget Director Jeff Scott estimated the temporary structure will cost about $1.4 million a year averaged over three years.
Some City Council members reacted to the proposal with skepticism.
“You’re asking us to pay $1 million for 20 beds, which is 1/6th of the facility?” Councilman Craig Fishel asked.
Greene County officials assert that inmates arrested by Springfield police should only take up 58 percent of beds in the jail because the city makes up 58 percent of the county’s population. Over 70 percent of the jail’s population - 446 offenders - were arrested by the Springfield Police Department, according to the Greene County Sheriff’s Office.
A press release from City Council says council members are considering the proposal.
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Information from: Springfield News-Leader, https://www.news-leader.com
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