EDWARDSVILLE – Madison County's jail renovation project moved forward May 16 with the approval of a $14 million upgrade by the county board despite the opposition of its chairman and county administrator.
“It’s a large amount of money to commit to at one time,” board Chairman Kurt Prenzler told the Madison County Record.
The vote on the 28-member board was unanimous.
Prenzler and County Administrator Doug Hulme have opposed the $14 million project calling it too expensive.
The project, to be built without the sale of bonds, will be performed by the Highland-based company Plocher Construction and will improve plumbing and electrical systems and renovate several cell blocks. In addition, the project includes upgrades to fire suppression, roofing, paint, new water lines and sewer mains, a new mechanical room and parking lot improvements.
The project does not expand the jail’s capacity but does modernize it.
Funding for the project will come over several years with proceeds possibly used from the sale of city properties and buildings, according to a May 16 report from The Telegraph. Approximately $5.4 million already in city coffers and transferred to the city's general fund has been earmarked to cover the first year of the three-year project.
Prenzler has criticized the $14 million price tag, instead favoring an alternative $8 million “base project” to get the jail upgrades started. That option would not have included cell block renovations.
His opposition of spending for jail renovations dates back to 2012, when the Democrat-led board wanted to issue bonds for renovation estimated at $19 million. Prenzler had led an effort to collect 23,000 signatures to force the issue to a vote in which a question on issuing bonds was defeated.
After recent passage of the $14 million project, Prenzler still expressed opposition to the project.
“I was in favor of doing the base project for $8 million then taking a deep breath and seeing where we were before moving forward,” he said.
Both Prenzler and Hulme expressed opposition to the project in a news release sent out a few days before the May 16 vote.
Hulme, who was unavailable for comment, stated in the release that going for the $8 million project to start would have made better sense.
“If we approve the $14 million project we’ll be committing a majority of the county’s cash to one project,” he said in the release. “Madison County is in good financial health, but a $14 million project paid in cash will potentially mean some tough decisions in the future.”
Board members disagreed, saying the county needed the long-overdue project. Prenzler and Hulme were criticized for their comments expressing opposition to the project.
Committee member Tom McRae, a Republican from Bethalto, called the opposition by Prenzler, also a Republican, “policy by press release,” according to a May 16 Belleville News-Democrat report.