Mississippi county taking bids to replace 70-year-old jail

FULTON, Miss. (AP) - A northeast Mississippi county plans a new jail to replace one more than 70 years old.

Itawamba County Sheriff Chris Dickinson tells WCBI-TV that plans call for a 104-bed jail. That’s more than double the current inmate capacity.

Supervisor Eric “Tiny” Hughes says officials could add 50 more beds inside the new jail without adding on to the building, giving it room for growth.

Supervisors will open bids on the project in mid-November. They hope to build a sheriff’s office and a justice court building as part of the project. Hughes says that might require a small property tax increase, but officials won’t be sure what’s affordable until they see the bids.

Itawamba County spends $30,000 a month paying Tishomingo County to house overflow inmates from the current jail.

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Information from: WCBI-TV, http://www.wcbi.com