Public input jail expansion meetings scheduled

Pennington County will host two meetings to learn about and provide input on the proposed jail expansion project. The meetings will be held Tuesday, July 15, and Monday, July 28, at 5:30 p.m. at The Monument— LaCroix Hall, Section C (444 Mt. Rushmore Road in Rapid City).

Community members will hear directly from Pennington County commissioners, the Rapid City Police Department, the Pennington County State’s Attorney’s Office, local courts and the Pennington County Sheriff’s Office.

“These meetings will focus on the critical role of public safety, and the necessity for long-term planning as the county addresses increasing demands on the jail system,” said a July 2 press release. 

“It’s important the public understands why this project matters—but even more important, we want to hear from them,” said county sheriff Brian Mueller. “These meetings give residents a chance to ask questions, share concerns and be part of the conversation about the future of public safety in our county.”

The meeting will begin with a PowerPoint presentation but will allow plenty of time for members of the public to voice their comments and ask any questions.

It is unclear what the project costs are currently, but previous estimates were between $120 and $140 million.

Davis Purcell, director of buildings and grounds for the county, said Scull Construction has scheduled out costs for different phases of the project “preparing for prices now and in the future.” He said there is an inflationary contingency in place. Purcell said if the jail is approved construction would begin immediately with a fall start and a 38- to 40-month time frame for the new jail with a four to four-and-a-half year completion for the new building and infrastructure depending on the option chosen by commissioners. He said county buildings and grounds is able to continue “limping along” until the new building is complete because “if we can fix the infrastructure in a semi-vacant building, it lowers the infrastructure costs considerably.” 

Previous jail expansion discussion noted the current jail needs $35 million in infrastructure repairs, which include upgraded security electronics and sewer upgrades. Purcell said once commissioners choose a definitive design, the public will be informed of the levy options.

The preferred jail expansion proposal was to build four housing floors each that can house 148 beds, as well as a mechanical level for those electrical upgrades. It is unclear if this is still the proposal commissioners are considering.

If approved, this will be the highest the jail can go and  there will not be expansion possibilities on this site in the future. The current facility houses inmates from Pennington County and the federal government. The county receives revenue from housing federal inmates, with 50 federal inmates contributing $2 million to the county. However, this cost does not include food, incidentals nor medical for the inmates, all of which are increasing.

Purcell said the design schedule is taking longer due to infrastructure needs. He says the county is looking at the commissioner vote in August or September when the county budget is due. 

No one at the county wanted to definitely answer the question of whether the public will vote on the project. County auditor Cindy Mohler said that in her opinion, “The sheriff is actually the best one to talk to about the full scope of the project and potential costs.” 

She did say there are two ways to fund the project. 

“One would be by doing a resolution for a lease purchase. That needs a 5-0 or 4-1 vote. This could be referred to a vote.

“The other is to do a resolution for general obligation bonds, which would require a majority vote from the commissioners. This would then be put to a vote of the taxpayers,” she said.

Purcell said the way he sees it, a 3-2 commissioner vote automatically triggers a public vote.

Mueller said the county is, “working with Colliers on the specifics related to bonding. Once we finish with our community meetings in July and get the final numbers from our team on the project and options we will detail that piece out clearly for the commission and the public to consider.”