DEKALB COUNTY, Tenn. (WTVF) — One county just approved the building of a new jail and Sheriff's Office in town.
It’s a move being met with lots of community disapproval — something that’s been the case for years — but county commissioners say it was necessary.
Last month, DeKalb County leaders approved the budget and purchased 71 acres of property on Smith Road.
“I’m very upset about it," said Shirley McCoy, who lives in the neighborhood where the jail is set to be built. "My aunt lives up the road, she’s in her 90s, my mama, she’s in her late 80s, they don’t need all that."
“When they came out with this in the meeting last month, it was a 'WTF' moment," added Tom Rowland.
He says the community already shut down the plan for a $65 million project last year, in a referendum that 85% of voters cast ballots against.
While their concerns include traffic in a small neighborhood, elementary school kids near a jail, and the hefty property tax increase that came with the decision, Commissioner Tony Luna explained that the deteriorated state of the existing jail downtown is a safety issue for both inmates and officers.
“If we didn’t do something, they would decertify us. That would be like you driving your car with no car insurance," he said.
He adds it would’ve cost millions more to renovate the current jail than to build the new one.
That's why they ultimately took the advice of a Tennessee Corrections Institute (TCI) adviser who suggested the Smith Road location — a move Luna says is a much more affordable project, costing an estimated $35 million.
“None of us are jail people. None of us had built jails," he said. "So we had to get some outside counsel, and that’s what we done, and we took his advice.”
Another question from neighbors was why the county wouldn’t build on property it already owns. Luna told us they were investing in the future, saying it’s more cost-efficient to buy new property now. That way, they could potentially invest in a new school or other needed infrastructure more easily in the coming years.
Thursday night’s meeting did not address the jail, but some neighbors had plans to attend and speak out about it.
Moving forward, Luna says public works will take up the project, testing the chosen property and figuring out logistics and design.
Do you have more information about this story? You can email me at nikki.hauser@newschannel5.com.
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