Clark County’s blue ribbon committee meets Tuesday for the first time to begin a six-month review process focused on replacing the county’s aging jail.
The committee features 24 regional representatives, including Vancouver Mayor Anne McEnerny-Ogle and City Manager Eric Holmes.
Chief Corrections Deputy Ric Bishop gave the Vancouver City Council an overview of the jail’s issues and what he described as an overwhelming need for replacement Monday evening. He called the commission’s timeline aggressive, but for good reason.
“It’s an aggressive timeline because our population in our community is rapidly expanding and our main jail is deteriorating,” Bishop said. “We need to have options soon.”
As Bishop briefly mentioned, the commission will consider five proposed options that range in cost from $63 million to $284 million. It’s estimated that the jail will need anywhere between 1,109 to 1,260 beds by 2036, according to a study conducted by the DLR Group in 2017.
Built in 1984, the jail has 300 beds, and serves about 400 inmates a day on average, Bishop told the council. Figures from the Washington Association of Sheriffs and Police Chiefs show the average daily number of inmates at a much higher rate — an average of 711 inmates a day in 2017.
Aside from the crunch on space, the building is also reportedly limited in how it can accommodate new methods to reduce recidivism.
Bishop said the county has built a new jail about every 40 years, a trend he expects to continue.
“Going forward, I won’t ask the taxpayers for another jail for 40 years,” he said of plans to replace the current jail. “It’s a huge burden and we must plan accordingly.”
A new jail will require a bond approved by voters. Clark County Council Chair Marc Boldt has said the county could go to voters with a bond next year. Without a new jail, inmates from Clark County could be sent to other regional jails as far away as Yakima and Benton counties.
Councilor Alishia Topper said she’s concerned about the existing proposals as they do not include community input.
“It almost feels like these proposals were done in a small vacuum,” Topper said.
Bishop added that the committee will consider the existing proposals as well as an options they see fit outside of the prepared materials.
“I don’t think I’ve talked to a single person who doesn’t agree with you that we need to update and modernize and provide a safe experience for those who are incarcerated,” Topper added.
Holmes said the council will host a follow-up work session at an unspecified date to develop a framework of expectations to send to the committee.
“The city of Vancouver is a significant contributor to the overall inmate population … and consequently we pay a significant portion of the overall operating cost,” Holmes said.
As such, Holmes is planning for the city council to have input in the decision-making process. The committee will make its recommendation to the Clark County Council by Nov. 1 for approval.
