Tyler

By ROY MAYNARD
Staff Writer

A group advocating passage of the $125 million jail bond package on the Nov. 6 ballot has challenged another group, which opposes the jail plan, to a debate. The Build the Jail Committee issued its challenge to Citizens for the Right Jail Plan on Saturday.

“We want to ensure that there is a vigorous discussion of the need for a new jail and the proposal drafted by the Commissioners Court and the citizens’ committee,” said Herb Buie, chairman of the Build the Jail Committee.

The group is proposing either a debate or a series of debates, in which three members from each committee would participate. Following opening statements, a moderator would ask questions about the jail plan.

The purpose is to “ensure that the public has the information it needs to make an informed decision regarding the bond election,” Buie said.

R.C. Curtis, the treasurer for Citizens for the Right Jail Plan, could not be reached for a response on Saturday.

Early voting on the jail bond proposition begins Oct. 22.

The proposal includes a 1,104-bed facility that would be “shelled out” with space for additional beds to be added in the future. A jail tower would be located on the site of the Smith County Office Building (the old Carlton Hotel), fronting onto Broadway Avenue, just to the west of the existing downtown jail. A low-risk wing would be constructed just behind the existing jail.

There’s $15 million in the package for newly built office space for departments displaced when the Carlton is demolished. The proposed building, to be placed next to the Smith County Courthouse Annex, would include space for future expansion of the courts system.

The $125 million bond package, if financed for 25 years, would add about 6.6 cents to the county’s tax rate of 28.8940 cents per $100 in property valuation, according to the county’s financial adviser. That’s an increase of about 22.8 percent.

“Building more jail space is an investment in the security for all of the law-abiding citizens of this county,” said Robert Bailes, treasurer of the Build the Jail Committee. “The community has worked together to develop a plan that will take Smith County well into the future. We can no longer ignore and delay the urgent need to build for this county’s existing and future needs.”

The opposing group acknowledges the need for more jail beds, but members say this bond proposal is flawed.

“We’ve gotten to the point where the silent majority can’t remain silent any longer,” Curtis said on Thursday. “We just think that what has evolved as a jail plan is a big mess, and we can’t support it.”