The Beaufort County Jail: Did You Say $11,100.00 per Day? | Eastern North Carolina Now

    I never cease to be amazed that there are residents of Beaufort County who continue to struggle to understand the jail issues. Some people are dedicated to the thought that every government and every person on the planet makes decisions based on facts, reason and logic. Admittedly the world should work this way. When it comes to the complexity of humans, this is simply not true. Our make up as humans, whether you view it from nature or the Bible, allows us to make choices. We make both bad and good choices. Look at all the bad decisions your have seen your friends and relatives make.

    Listed within the next paragraph are a few simple truths. The Gang of Four, Belcher, Booth, Langley and the ultimate RINO Al Klemm, and their hangers on will disagree with most of these simple truths. I invite them to show proof these statements are wrong. Opinions do not count, facts do.

    There is no formal or informal jail study that examines even some of the alternatives. There is no report that examines the "no action alternative'. There is no written report that is signed by the architect that provides the information about the size of the new jail. There are ample drawings that show the new jail can be built behind the court house. There is no study or report that indicates whether or not there is an advantage or disadvantage to moving the jail, sheriff's offices, magistrates offices, or any other county function to the site about three miles south of Chocowinity.

    The decision to build a new jail is entirely a political decision made by the Gang of Four with assistance provided by Judge Wayland Sermons. Not one of the Gang of Four can intelligently discuss the need for a new jail to built at any place in Beaufort County. We simply do not need a new jail.

    There are jail reports prepared by Beaufort County each week that show we have between 65 and 89 daily prisoners in our jail each month. There is a permit for our jail to house 87 daily prisoners. For various reasons we have on average of bout 10 prisoners kept in other counties. The cost to keep prisoners out of the county is about $200,000 each year.

    There are documents that show the new jail facilities will cost between 20 and 30 million dollars. No one knows for sure. There are reports prepared by Beaufort County that say the increased cost of financing and operating the new jail will be more than $4,000.000 each year. This is a 15 percent increase in property taxes.

    The Gang of Four has engaged an architect and construction supervisor at a cost of almost $2,000,000 to prepare plans for a new jail in time to let the construction contract during September or October of 2014. They will be working six months. The cost to the taxpayers is $11,100.00 per day during this 180 days. At normal billing rates that means about ten people are working seven days per week to prepare plans and specifications.

    The Gang of Four intends to begin construction of the new jail before the November 2014 elections believing the newly elected board of commissioners will not have the courage to stop construction.

    Check out the county commissioner candidates. If they are not willing to vote to stop the spending even after construction has started, do not vote for them. This jail project will harm us economically and produce a lot more county jobs with no benefit to us.

    There is a Stop the Jail Committee. They are raising money to hire lawyers, to hopefully get an injunction to stop construction until after the November 2014 elections. Mail your contribution to: Stop the Jail, 2013 West 13th Street, Washington, NC. 27889. For information call: Harold Smith at 945-8719.