Need for regional jail in Brown County reiterated by chief deputy, state's attorney

As Brown County continues to consider building a regional jail, State's Attorney Ernest Thompson and Chief Deputy Dave Lunzman again reminded commissioners of why it is needed.

Both spoke at this week's commission meeting at the courthouse, providing an overview of many reasons that have previously been broached.

The county has purchased the former Hub City Inc. building for $4.5 million with the intent of remodeling the interior for a jail with sufficient space not only for Brown County, but also inmates from across the region. The plan is far from a sure thing, however. Commissioners don't want to pass an opt out or increase the tax burden for county residents and bought the building with the caveat that the county gets commitments for 40% of the estimated $27 million needed for a 127-bed facility by April 1, 2023. Hopes are the nearby counties will commit funding to the new facility. The state has also set aside money for regional jails.

More:Regional jail commission meets Wednesday in Aberdeen as Brown County fights capacity issues

While finding money for the venture is a concern, Lunzman said, the current jail is at capacity, and the county has run out of alternatives like the 24-7 sobriety program, GPS monitoring and drug patches.

Following the meeting, Lunzman said Brown County has 135 people enrolled in various programs that keep them out of the jail. Of those, 61 are participating in the 24-7 sobriety program that requires a breath test twice a day.

Not building a new jail also comes with considerable expenses

The alternative to building a new jail is finding other places to keep inmates, and that housing, Lunzman said, isn't going to be near Brown County. Minnesota and North Dakota have so many inmates that they aren't accepting offenders from South Dakota. That means looking to jails in Wyoming, Nebraska and Iowa, he said.

"As we fill beds and go west or south, we take beds from other counties and municipalities and compound the problem as we go out," Lunzman, who will become sheriff as Mark Milbrandt retires. Lunzman is unopposed in next month's general election.

Brown County would have to pay for any inmates housed elsewhere.

Lunzman said the sheriff's office won't just be making one trip to drop off Brown County inmates. Since most have pending legal charges, there will be multiple trips to drive defendants back and forth for things like court hearings and mental health assessments. Accommodations also have to be made so inmates can meet with their attorneys, he said, and housing people out of the county or state means the inmates are that much farther away from their families.

It's not an exaggeration to say that deputies will be on the road seven days a week moving inmates, he said, and two-day trips require finding overnight lodging for the inmate in a jail somewhere along the way.

Finding funding a concern for county commissioners

Commissioner Doug Fjeldheim said there has to be substantial funding in place for the project to make it go, but his concerns also include sustainability and making sure the new jail isn't going to cost the county substantially more than expected. That could result in a shift in county department budgets with others being trimmed to pay for the new jail. One of the few budgets the county could tap is the highway department's, which would mean less road work.

On that point, Lunzman agrees. But to him, the question is whether the county is going to pay for the development of local inmate housing or increased travel.

"It's going to eat you alive and it's going to get worse," Lunzman said of the potential increase in travel expenses.

He said he has no doubt that if a new jail is built, it will be sufficient to house more inmates and all jail operations.

Commission Chairman Duane Sutton said he's been holding out hope that a legislative summer study concludes there's a need for regional jails and allocation of funding for Brown County's plan. With $86 million in state money set aside for the regional jail concept, he hopes state legislators realize how important the issue is.

"Even if they were willing to do $12 (million) to $15 million, that would go a long way ... in getting our project to fruition," he said.

Commissioner Mike Wiese said he's had conversations with one county, which he didn't identify, about its inmate housing needs. One option they discussed, he said, was guaranteeing a certain number of beds for that county at a reduced rate with a financial contribution. For example, he said, if the county wanted to be guaranteed 10 beds, that would be 5% of the capacity for a 200-bed facility. In turn, he said, the neighboring county would contribute 5% to the cost of the project.

This article originally appeared on Aberdeen News: Need for regional jail discussed at Brown County Commission meeting