A proposal to replace a deteriorating county jail is going before voters. On Tuesday, a nearly $22 million bond issue will be on the ballot in Clinton County.
The jail opened in 1969. A study conducted by the National Institute of Corrections in 2008 determined the jail was "outdated and obsolete."
Sheriff Rick Lincoln says it doesn't have enough space and the pipes leak. He says Clinton County needs a more modern jail and a safer environment for the guards and inmates.
Lincoln says the county has held public forums in recent months to educate voters about the need for a new jail.
The new jail would have 96 beds and be built in a pod design, to make it easier for corrections staff to supervise inmates. It would cost nearly $22 million. According to Sheriff Lincoln, that works out to an additional $35 each year for the average homeowner in Clinton County.
