Guernsey County to seek state funding to expand the county jail
The Guernsey County Commissioners met November 8 and agreed to a motion to file a grant application to help fund an expansion of the county jail. The commissioners met with Guernsey County Sheriff Jeff Paden, Deputy Chief Jeremy Wilkinson and County Maintenance Supervisor Todd Carpenter.
The application will be forwarded to the Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Correction.
The county is seeking $4.65 million in funding to add space for additional 66 beds and 36 alternative sentencing cells because of a current shortage of beds and or dorms in the jail to hold those charged with crimes or other infractions.
The money is based on Governor DeWine’s $100 million grant fund to expand jails across the state. Once the Guernsey County application is submitted, ODHC will begin studying the applications in December to determine which request will be approved.
If approved, it could take two to three years to complete the project.
In other action, the commissioners agreed to a bed rental agreement with Muskingum County for juvenile offenders. The commissioners also agreed to maintain a lease agreement with the Cambridge/Guernsey County Visitors and Convention Bureau. The monthly charge in 2023 will be $1,598.00 for the bureau.
Supplied by Robert Palmer with the Guernsey County Commissioners.
This article originally appeared on The Daily Jeffersonian: Commissioners seeks state funding to expand the jail
