Published: January 05, 2009 04:07 pm         

County Commissioners discuss new jail

The new Payne County Jail likely will be done by the end of February, Payne County Commission Chairman Gloria Hesser said at the commissioners’ weekly meeting Monday.

She said those plans could change considering new issues that arise.

“I think that’ll be our main focus the first part of the year,” she said.

The commissioners also inspected the current county jail Monday morning with other county officers. Commissioner Bill Deering did not attend the inspection because he had a prior engagement.

Hesser said the commissioners by law must inspect the jail annually.

“It’s about the same thing,” Hesser said of the old jail. “It will be so nice when we get in the new facility.”

Also at the meeting, Hesser maintained her position as chairman and Deering was reappointed as vice chairman.

Hesser reminded those in attendance that the filing period for the Payne County Fair Board is the last week of January, with the election on the morning of Feb. 14.

Those filing must live in the district in which they are running. Elections are at 9:30 a.m., and Hesser said the votes will be counted promptly at 10 a.m. Official time will be determined using the clocks in the different polling locations, which depend on the district.

The fair board was supposed to discuss bid evaluations for a new electronic message center at its Dec. 31 meeting, but County Clerk Linda Hatfield said that meeting was canceled. The commissioners cannot evaluate or accept those bids until the fair board makes a recommendation.

Hatfield said she didn’t know when the bid would reappear on the commissioner’s agenda.

The commissioners will meet again at 9 a.m. Monday in the County Commissioners Meeting Room of the Payne County Administration Building, 315 W. Sixth.



Trustees of the Payne County Economic Development Authority

The Payne County Commissioners recessed Monday to begin a special meeting of the Trustees of the Payne County Economic Development Authority, which is composed of the same body of people.

It was the first meeting of the authority since December 2007.

During the meeting, the trustees discussed audited financial statements and paid claims for auditing services. Both were approved unanimously.

The trustees also discussed expenses for a study of a juvenile detention center in the county, an idea that’s been on the table for a few years, Trustee Gloria Hesser said.

County Sheriff R.B. Hauf said the new jail does not meet the qualifications for a juvenile facility, which require classrooms and an outside yard for exercise.

“The juvenile standards and adult standards are night and day,” Hauf said. “And the restricted amount of space as the property is (in the new jail), is not feasible.”

Trustee Bill Deering said he doesn’t like the Office of Juvenile Affairs’ standards for a juvenile center.

“I know I have to go along with it, but I don’t like it,” he said. “I want a military camp. Let’s straighten them out.”

The study would cost $35,000, but Hesser said a new juvenile detention center would save the county money because officers would not have to transport juveniles hundreds of miles, using gas and costing the county in officer overtime.

Also, she said the OJA would pay for 85 percent of the operating costs after the facility was approved by the agency. Revenue would come in from other counties choosing to use Payne County’s facility as well.

“The bottom line is it would be a tremendous savings to Payne County,” Hesser said.

She said she wasn’t sure how the county would pay for building the detention center, but the study is designed to determine how feasible the facility would be.

“You’ve got to start somewhere,” she said. “It would be an asset to Payne County to have a facility.”

     

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