Walsh County Sheriff Ron Jurgens
GRAFTON, N.D. (KFGO) – Walsh County will move forward with a much-needed new jail. The County Commission has voted 3-to-2 to approve using the sales tax to help pay for the new jail.
There were two measures in the May special election to fund a new jail and a sheriff’s office. County voters approved the sales tax increase; however, the county’s general fund levy failed. Both needed a simple majority to pass. As a result, it meant the new sheriff’s office was no longer in the plan.
Sheriff Ron Jurgens says this is a scaled-down version of the original plan, but they will still be able to build a 46-bed jail proposed at a cost of approximately $25 million.
Jurgens says the current jail can only use 16 of the cells due to dozens of problems with the 50-year-old jail. He calls it “a constant battle on where to put inmates so we continue to transport inmates to other jails in the state. He says the bright spot is the construction of a new jail and “we’re excited about that.”
Construction is scheduled to begin next year and is expected to take approximately two years to complete.
Jurgens says they’re looking at other ideas on where to put the sheriff’s office once the new jail is built.
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