There have been several meetings with the county commission to discuss the options to address problems at the current jail. So far, the only options that have been presented would cost millions of dollars and property tax increases to pay for it. If the question is asked, can't we do something much smaller and much less expensive, the answer is inevitably the same. That would just be a band-aid and we wouldn't want to do that. Well, why not? For some reason calling an option a band-aid, ends the discussion and we move on to the big money. A band-aid that wouldn't bankrupt the county and jack up property taxes on residents sounds like a pretty good idea to me.

2004 was the last time the Justice Center was expanded and upgraded. I think it cost a little over 4 million dollars. I'm sure that would be considered a band-aid but that band-aid served us well for more than 12 years.

So why can't we do another "band-aid" now that might last us another 12 years or more? There's not one thing wrong with a band-aid.

I and I know other commissioners truly want to address the issues at the jail but at some point common since and reasonableness must be applied.

I hope in the very near future, we might sit down with the architects and engineers and come up with a plan that can be achieved. Call it a band-aid, if you want. I'd just call it a plausible solution.