Update on Regional Jail issue for Shenandoah, Warren, and Rappahannock counties

Woodstock – The Board of Supervisors in Warren and Rappahannock counties have already approved moving forward on the construction of a new regional jail in Front Royal near the Virginia Inland Port. However, Shenandoah County officials – the last of the three county partners – are investigating the issue in depth before they make the decision to relinquish local control of their inmates to a regional authority. (Refer to Part 1 of this series on June 12.)

The Shenandoah County Board of Supervisor was originally scheduled to discuss the issue at their meeting at the Government Center in Woodstock last night. Now, it’s reported that the next time they’ll be public discussion on the issue will be on August 6 at 1 p.m. at their Public Safety and Code Administration Committee meeting. The Supervisors have invited a number of pertinent speakers from the Commonwealth of Virginia to answer questions they have on the underlying details of a possible regional jail. Supervisor Dennis Morris is the chairperson of the committee.

Under a Commonwealth of Virginia program, Shenandoah County is under “a tight window” if they want to receive the 50% funding toward construction costs, according to Brandon Davis, the Director of Planning and Zoning for Shenandoah County. Last night, he said that a decision one way or the other will need to be made in “the “September-October time frame” this year. The Board is balancing making that deadline – if they elect to – with making sure they have all of the facts on a regional jail before they do. If they vote to proceed, the next step will be to draft and sign a “service agreement” with the other two counties to create the regional jail authority that will govern the facility.

The Shenandoah Board of Supervisors is on hiatus in July, so they won’t have their two regularly-scheduled meetings next month. The public is encouraged to get involved in this issue as it affects Shenandoah County residents directly, and is a matter of local vs. state/Federal jurisdiction.

June 12, 2009 — Part 1 of a series -More questions than answers…

June 23 is date citizens can speak up on whether to move all Shenandoah County inmates to possible regional jail in Warren County

This past Tuesday, the County Supervisors met at the Shenandoah County Government Center as usual. And, not many people attended, as usual. But, the main discussion of the day was not “business as usual.” The issue discussed has direct, long-term effects on the people of the County, and perhaps beyond.

Simply put, the Shenandoah County Jail is full – too full. Shenandoah County Tim Carter says “it’s functional,” but crowded, and that indeed the County does need to consider how to solve the problem. As with many other county jails across the country, many of those arrested and in the jail are there for minor crimes.

Enter the State of Virginia. For years, the Commonwealth has been making it easier financially for localities (counties) to build regional jails. The recent hard economic times has made the money offered by the state even more enticing. Our stretch of the Northern Shenandoah Valley is one of the last areas remaining in Virginia that has not moved to a regional jail as of yet. And, we are at or near the top of the list now to get 50 percent funding from the State to build a regional jail. But, advisors says that time is running out if we want the cash.

So far, the Shenandoah County Board of Supervisors has paid $18,000 to Moseley Architects for a regional jail site study. The deadline for completing the study, which includes an environmental analysis is September. Dennis Morris is the Chairman of the Public Safety and Code Committee for Shenandoah County, under which jail issues fall. Morris could not be reached for comment.

The Move Is On
One way or another this issue will be resolved, hopefully, with the input of the citizens communicating to their elected representatives what they believe is best. David Ferguson, Chairman of the Shenandoah County Board of Supervisors, vowed to get public input. The first opportunity for public comments on the issue will be Tuesday night, June 23 at 7 p.m. at the Government Center in Woodstock.

Thus far, many of the media sources in the area have made the issue about the two sides: Sheriff Tim Carter being against the regional jail and the Shenandoah County Board of Supervisors being already committed to moving the local jail out of the County. However, there are deeper issues than what’s on the surface, and people are just now beginning to look into those.

In an interview on Monday night with David Ferguson, he emphasized that the decision to move to a regional jail is not a done deal, and that the Board is in the process of asking the right questions to determine their next steps.

But, the heat is on, and the regional jail contingency in the State appears to be emphasizing the incentives to make a decision soon – for financial reasons. William H. Hefty, attorney for and advisor to the regional jail committee, was on hand on Tuesday to answer Shenandoah County Supervisors’ questions about how a jail authority works and what’s usually included in the “service agreement.” The public nor the press were given the opportunity to ask questions of Hefty during the meeting. Hefty said that the money the state is offering is “a big hook.”

The way the process works is that the counties considering building a regional jail together (in this case, Shenandoah, Warren, and Rappahannock) will bring the issue to their Board of Supervisors and the Boards will decide whether to begin the process of drafting a “service agreement” to move forward in building the regional jail. A “regional jail authority” is established to guide the organization, composed of 9 members: the 3 sheriffs from each county, one representative from the Board of Supervisors for each County, and the 3 County Administrators.

In this case, for Shenandoah County, we’d have Sheriff Tim Carter, County Administrator Vince Poling, and a named representative from the Shenandoah County Board of Supervisors. In making decisions, since Shenandoah County would have three votes, they would not have enough votes to veto a decision they did not believe was in the best interest of our citizens.
When asked about this, Mr. Hefty said that “very rarely” do the members disagree.

The new regional jail authority would hire a Regional Jail Superintendent who they could fire at will, but who (according to Hefty in an later interview) would be paid a salary of $80,000 – $100,000 by the state of Virginia.

If all three counties agree to move forward with the regional jail, the “service agreement” would create the governing body. The overriding long-term commitment would be that all inmates in Shenandoah County will be moved to Warren County from now on. Hefty said that a provision could and should be in the agreement making sure that the Commonwealth pays 50 percent of the money for jail construction for the deal to be executed. He also said that a good chunk of the operating and labor expenses of the jail would also be paid for by the state. How much is unclear.

Currently, the Board of Supervisors in Warren and Rappahannock counties have already made the decision that they do want a regional jail. Now, it’s in Shenandoah County’s hands. We must weigh in on the issue and give it our stamp of approval for it to happen.

The other two counties have said “yes”. They are no longer debating the “if.” But, it appears they are still debating the “where.” The current plan calls for the new Regional Jail – if it’s built – to be on a stretch of 28 acres in Warren County on the east side of U.S. 340-522 North between Success Road and Fairground Road. This parcel is right in the middle of the “Toray” industrial corridor.

Front Royal Vice Mayor Bret Hrbek is reported coming out against the location, saying that the city has been working hard to bring business to that area, and that a regional jail doesn’t make sense there. One fact that has not been mentioned is that the parcel also sits right next to Virginia’s Inland Port. The connection to that, if any, is also unclear (Pictured above).

Back to the Meeting
As it stands, if a regional jail is built, Shenandoah County will have to transport all of their inmates to another county: Warren. One of the questions the Shenandoah County Supervisors raised at the meeting is why we’re considering building yet another regional jail when other sensible alternatives still remain.

Sheriff Tim Carter, at the request of David Ferguson, contacted and developed a list of the available inmate space at other regional jails close to Shenandoah County, and inquired whether we can rent beds from them. Mr. Hefty, matter-of-factly referred to that scenario as dealing in “bed futures.”

Here are a few of the facts:

- There are six regional jails nearby (some as close to Shenandoah County as the proposed regional jail site in Warren County) that do have space available, and for less than the $65 per inmate per day that it currently costs Shenandoah County to house their inmates. Northwestern Regional Adult Detention Center in Winchester, for example, has beds available for $41 per day. Whether it’s wise for Shenandoah County to rent beds indefinitely is questionable, however the Supervisors do look to be considering this as one alternative.

Another fact: Six Virginia state prisons were closed in January of this year. One of those is in Clarke County, which is as close to Shenandoah County as Warren County is. The question exists as to whether that facility could be used instead of committing to a regional jail – where Shenandoah representatives could be subject to having to abide by decisions outside their control.

- Sheriff Tim Carter also requested and has received an estimate from Harman Construction to look at purchasing 3 acres in Shenandoah County, and building a new 23,000 square foot jail. In a letter from Wayne Witmer, President of Harman Construction, to Tim Carter, he states that the estimated cost would be about $3,325,000. Minimum security/ work release center options are also being considered by Carter.
(Even if the regional jail becomes a reality, the Virginia statutes say that each county sheriff will still be in charge of whatever work release program the County deems appropriate and necessary.)

On Tuesday, comments by the Board, as well as by Sheriff Tim Carter, gave every indication that all alternatives – including the true costs of building an addition to the current Shenandoah County Jail (or building a new jail in Shenandoah County) – must be addressed, and not rushed – to ensure that the decision remains in the best interests of the people of Shenandoah County, their inmates … and yes, also their pocketbook.

(To be continued…)

Look for Part 2 in the coming days, and mark your calendars to attend the next Shenandoah County Supervisors Meeting on June 23 at 7 p.m. at the Government Center in Woodstock. This important meeting will be the last meeting before the Board takes a hiatus during the month of July, and the regional jail issue is sure to be the focus.