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Houghton County residents have two more opportunities to learn about the new jail expansion proposal.
Presentations will be held at the Houghton County Courthouse tonight and at the Franklin Township Hall tomorrow. Both meetings begin at 7pm.
The county is looking to borrow $11 million for up to 20 years and increase property taxes by .75 mills. A property owner with a $100,000 home would pay on average $37.50 a year to pay back the loan. The jail addition will allow the county to house more than double the inmates of the current jail and the work camp combined.
The 25-year-old Camp Kitwen is often brought up by the public as an alternative to the jail. The county says state officials recently denied the county’s request to tour the interior of the prison due to its poor condition and “potential health and safety concerns” for visitors.
The site was originally constructed as a low-security dorm-style prison. Renovations to convert it to a jail, as well as substantially higher operational and transportation costs for taxpayers, would make Camp Kitwen cost taxpayers even more than the jail addition.
Voters will decide the fate of the jail proposal on November 6th.
