JSIP Bond: Estimated costs for building a new law enforcement campus have increased, and sticking with the current plan would now mean asking voters to approve $104.6 million in bonds according to Project Manager Nick Kurth. The prior figure would have been about $10 million less.
On Tuesday, Kurth presented the county’s board of commissioners with the current estimate, but noted adding new homeless services had not been calculated in yet. So far, the commissioners plan to build a courthouse and district attorney’s office for $33 million – the majority of which will be borrowed, with a portion also coming from a state grant.
But, the reason the county plans to ask voters to approve the bond proposal is to build additional facilities; a new jail, sheriff’s headquarters, and mental health crisis center. Pollsters contracted by the county later indicated the measure would fare better with voters if spending for homeless services was included.
The county refers to the proposal as the Justice System Improvement Program, and voters in Benton County should expect to see the bond proposal for the long-awaited facilities on their May 2023 ballot. Tuesday’s meeting kicked off a series of discussions for the Benton County Board of Commissioners on the precise language of the measure.
“Every department in the county has been involved and helped or contributed to getting to this point today. It is truly a project that spans all our county departments and expertise,” said Kurth at the commissioners meeting.
“There have been concerns and questions about the bond amount, funding sources, impact to taxpayers, as well as operational funding,” said Kurth. “There is very much interest in diversion and upstream strategies to reduce incarceration as well as related to law enforcement training and response. We have prioritized the facilities for consideration and how they fit together.”
At the meeting, commissioners voted unanimously to also include funding for a homelessness services facility that will be included in the project. Commissioners directed County staff to research and present options for funding this portion of the project in order to address homelessness and mental health in the bond measure following the community survey done back in October.
Earlier, in a release from the County, after considering several options, the board voted unanimously in support of including funding for homelessness services facilities with a preferred partner option of the Corvallis Daytime Drop-in Center’s (CDDC) homelessness resources and housing navigation center project.
Upcoming meetings to further discuss what the full bond amount will be are scheduled for subsequent BOC Tuesday meetings, anticipated for Dec. 20, and Jan. 3, 2023.
Happy Retirement: The director of the Benton Natural Areas, Parks & Events (NAPE) is retiring. Lynne McKee will be retiring from her role with Benton County on Dec. 16 after serving in the role since 2016.
McKee was recognized for her years of service at the Benton County Board of Commissioners meeting on Tuesday, Dec. 6. “We will miss Lynne’s endless positivity and can-do attitude,” said Benton County Administrator Joe Kerby
NAPE focuses restorative efforts for recreation, events, and history at areas maintained and conserved in Benton County.
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