MADISON, WI (WTAQ) – A public hearing was held Tuesday for a bill that would close the Green Bay Correctional Institution.
Representative David Steffen’s plan, which was discussed by the Assembly Committee on Corrections, calls for a private company to build a new prison.
The state would then lease the building and run the facility.
The Howard Republican says the lease agreement would cost $15,000,000 per year, which is $4,000,000 less than the cost to maintain the current facility.
Governor Walker’s proposed two-year state budget allocates $22,200,000 for renovations to the current prison.
Steffen believes that money could be spent elsewhere.
“Over the next ten years, a ten-year forecast is $153,000,000 of savings to the state. All while, we are unlocking $80,000,000 of economic development in the Village of Allouez.”
Steffen notes closing the existing prison and opening a new facility could take five years.
