KEWAUNEE COUNTY, WI (WTAQ-WLUK) – There’s a proposal to build a new jail in Kewaunee County. It is something that has been a point of contention for decades.
On Tuesday evening, a presentation was held at the county fairgrounds, partly in hopes of getting the public on board.
About 22 years ago, a plan to build a new jail cost a lot of Kewaunee County board members their seats, according to Kewanee County Chief Deputy Jason Veeser.
“Almost the whole county board got recalled and we ended up with a new county board that shut the jail down at the time.”
The current county board is hoping for better results with a $25.6 million proposal to build a new jail in an empty field just south of the county administration building.
The current jail, built in 1968, holds 22 inmates. However, the county has been averaging between 30 and 40 inmates.
“We become creative,” said Veeser when asked what the county does when it has too many inmates. “We use home monitoring. We house them in other counties. Currently, we can’t house females at all.”
Other deficiencies with the current jail include structural integrity concerns. The plumbing, roof, and electrical system all also either need repairs or replacement.
“The current jail, it is an antique,” said Veeser. “The jail cells close by turning a big crank and you can hear the cables running through the walls to close the cells, it really is an outdated facility.”
The county board is leaning toward using general fund money, COVID relief dollars, and borrowing $21 million to pay for the new jail. It would increase tax bills $19.94 per $100,000 of assessed value.
Another option is asking residents through referendum.
“Say we backed up for a year, what additional cost would that one year delay increase price of the jail?” questioned Kewaunee County supervisor John Mastalir at Tuesday’s meeting.
“Historically, construction costs will escalate 4 to 8 percent a year, annually,” said Kurt Berner, with The Samuels Group. “This last year has obviously been not normal.”
The 911 center would also move into the new jail building.
There would also be room for future expansion with a new courthouse and sheriff’s office.
The county board will vote next month on how they’d like to proceed with the project.
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