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Jail expansion to raise
county's taxes
By Morgan Conklin
Summer
Reporter
Expansion of the Tippecanoe County Jail is expected
to affect taxes of area residents.
"In the next two to three years the city will
be looking at an increase in taxes," said K.D. Benson, county commissioner.
Taxes are expected to increase four cents for every
$100, and the increase will be phased in to support the expansion, said
Benson.
The expansion of the jail, located on Duncan Road
in Lafayette, will include a pod containing a total of 288 new beds;
208 will be contained in the pod, and a holding area will house another
80 beds.
Sheriff David Murtaugh said the expansion is necessary.
"We have been overcrowded for the past three years," he said.
"At times we have had to move prisoners to other county jails so
they wouldn’t have to sleep on the floor."
Benson said, "We wish the expansion wasn’t
necessary, but it is, and we are accepting the whole process."
Both Murtaugh and Benson agreed that the increasing
population is the primary reason for having to expand the jail, rather
than an increasing crime rate. "The population in the county is
increasing. This is a big county — one of the biggest in the state
— and that is the reason for the new jail," Benson said.
After construction is complete, more workers will
be necessary to staff the jail, but Benson said the expansion has been
designed to minimize the need for many new positions.
Benson hopes the construction of the expansion
will begin sometime in October and be completed in 2003.
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New
station lands on the FM dial
Jail
expansion to raise county's taxes
New
exhibition center officially opens
Park
to house lighted basketball courts
CITY DESK PHONE:
(765) 743-1111
ext. 250
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send a letter to the editor, please email opinions@purdueexponent.org
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