You ask - when we get this paid off, will our wheel tax and other prices go down? The short answer is, NO.

It might depend on what we call ‘paid off.’ Not all of the $36 is going for debt service.

The current plans call for thirty year bonds to be issued. No one, and I mean no one, expects this facility to meet our needs for the next thirty years.

The County Jail Consultant (from Kentucky) use 15 years out population projections to determine our bed needs, but this is also the same consultant that determined that 29,000 population at 4.5 beds per 1,000 is 152. Yep that's what we need, 152 beds. Well, 4.5 X 29 is 130.5. Trust me, I can't even make this stuff up.

The folks who ought to know say that we could fill up the 152 beds the day the facility open. The day after we will be back to overcrowding again. But then again, we do have the room to expand the jail by 100 beds, when we need to. Wonder how we are going to pay for the expansion?

Also, you might note that one-third of the wheel tax income goes for increased operating expenses of our new and improved facility. How do you ever get those 'paid off?'

The debt service for 30 years on $9.3 million at 4.5% per year (approx. $600,000 per year) is almost $18,000,000. By the way, does anyone have a clue as to what makes up the $9.3 million. Me Neither.

One must remember that a detention facility is capital project. And capital project are generally funded with property taxes. There are specific statutes that say the County Legislative Body, our County Commission, has a DUTY to erect a jail and courthouse. That's a capital project.

Who gains the most from having the ability to get the bad guy off the streets? The folks who have something for them to mess with or them that have to work pay check to pay check.

Said another way, The bad guys and gals drive by those $125,000 homes and say, O. K. let’s mess with their stuff. They drive by my $10,000 trailer and say, don't bother.

Both of us have cars, his is a Hummer and mine is a 1975 Ford pick-us that needs tires and some bondo, that I can't afford.

Both vehicles get charged the same for the privileges of driving on the roads in Hardin County. His is black topped and mine is chips and oil with a lot of patches on it. But, we all pay the same amount to build a jail and sheriff's department facility.

If I'm paying to have my $10,000 trailer protected, why shouldn't I expect those folks that are getting their $125,000 home protected to kick in a few dollars more. They are getting the greater benefit, aren't they?

Ted