Securing the safety of officers, inmates, and the community is paramount for any jail, basic assurances that are not necessarily guaranteed in Montezuma County, officials reported this week.

An inadequate and regularly overcrowded facility in Cortez has prompted a Jail Advisory Committee to campaign for a sales-tax increase of less than half a penny to fund a new $5.5 million jail. Voters will again be asked November 2 to approve the plan, after a similar proposal failed last year by 334 votes. A series of public meetings with community leaders and detention officers began Tuesday to help inform voters on the issue and answer any questions.

Speaking to an audience of 40 people, made up of mostly law-enforcement personnel, Sheriff Joey Chavez emphasized the importance of getting the facts out consistently, while reminding his troops to adhere to election laws that prevent public officials from campaigning while on the clock.

"Stick to the facts when people ask questions while on duty, and do not tell people to vote yes or no. We all need to be positive on this and work together," he said.

The committee is a cross-section of local officials and business people, including Slim McWilliams, Dan Avery, Jo Tipton, Chavez, Under Sheriff Sam Hager, and Sheriff Deputy Vicki Pierce. The action group will be distributing an information flyer to the public detailing the proposal.

Under the heading "Why a New Jail?" the report notes that the current jail was labeled "grossly inadequate" by the National Institute of Corrections in 1998. It also states that the current jail was designed to house 46 inmates, but consistently averages double that figure, a situation ripe for prisoner legal claims against the county for unfair, and unsafe conditions.

We’re a lawsuit ready to happen," warned Detention Supervisor Lt. Jim Keen.

A series of escapes in the last two years, and the increased chances of assaults against fellow inmates and officers because of overcrowding, testify to the unsafe conditions at the current facility and justify building a new one, the report notes.

A proposed county-wide sales-tax increase of .45 cents would be strictly used to finance a 15-year, $6.2-million bond-issue needed to construct the new jail ($5.5 million), remodel the old one ($350,000) and operate both ($190,000). A reserve fund is also included.

The proposal creates a 72-bed detox, work-release, and community corrections center out of the current jail building. A rider that would have given sheriff deputies a 10-percent raise from the tax-increase was dropped by the county commissioners last month.

Farm-equipment and supplies, groceries, prescription medicines, and utilities from the proposed tax increase would be exempt. It would sunset in no less than 10 years, and no more than 15 years depending how quickly the bond is paid off. Construction is estimated at 18 months.

Because the funding will be derived from a sales tax rather than a mill-levy increase (paid by property owners), a portion of the price tag will be covered by visitors and tourists as they spend money passing through Montezuma County.

"A recent survey showed that 17 percent of sales-tax revenue is paid for by tourists, so this way they help pay for this," Chavez said.

The new jail, which will also be the new home for the sheriff’s department, is designed to hold 110 inmates and contains eight separate cells for detaining juveniles. If approved, it will be built on 20 acres of county land on the northwest corner of Empire and Mildred streets, across from the current jail. The modular design allows for expansion up to an additional 110 inmates, and includes full kitchens, exercise yards, nursing staff and administration offices.

Other advantages of a bigger jail, as presented by the citizens’ advisory board, are:

- It would reduce the need for probationary sentences and plea bargains that prematurely return criminals to the streets.

- Established juvenile cells eliminate the need for expensive and dangerous transportation of inmates to other facilities. (Currently, juveniles are shipped to Grand Junction at a cost last year of $11,000.)

- Juvenile inmates will have access to local support services

- The new jail will improve the ability to attract new jobs to the area.

"Last year we did not get enough information out in time," Chavez said. "Now we have a model, architect, location, citizens’ panel, and public meetings set up in time to answer questions from the community."