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Richardson Co Commission Discusses Jail Financing

By Matthew Leaf

12/19/2013

(KTNC) -- Richardson County Commissioners discussed ways they could finance a new jail building Tuesday, should the county proceed with a proposed renovation of the old Armory building on the west edge of Falls City.
Architects Jay Weingarten and Scott Lundberg, with Prochaska and Associates, outlined three options the county could consider to finance the project.
One option would be for the board to institute a “nickel tax.” Weingarten said state law allows a County to levy a tax of up to 5.2-cents to build a Courthouse, Jail, or other public building without a public vote. The tax would have to fit within the county’s 50-cent levy limit.
If commissioners chose that option, Weingarten said they could start designing the new jail immediately and could start construction, possibly by the end of the summer.
The second option is to have voters approve an added 5-cent levy. Under that option, construction would be pushed back several months since design work wouldn’t start until the levy was approved. The option would give the county more budget flexibility though, as the 5-cent levy would fall outside the county’s 50-cent cap.
A third option presented is a hybrid of the two. With that, Weingarten said, commissioners could essentially decide to go forward with the project and give voters the option of whether to finance the project within or outside the 50-cent levy.
During discussion, Commissioner Jim Standerford said he’s had several of his questions about the cost of the jail project answered since he came on the board one year ago. But he said he has concerns about a potential drop in Ag land value and future interest rates.
Weingarten said Richardson County is in a better position than many counties in Nebraska, as the county’s property tax levy is currently well below the 50-cent limit.
Sheriff Randy Houser suggested that the county proceed with the design phase to possibly get a better idea of the cost of the project. He also said the county should consider hosting a couple public open houses at the current jail.
Commissioners didn’t decide on a course of action during Tuesday’s meeting.

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