News

County requests surge money from the city

By Scott Wagar

04/21/2015

With $15.4 million of legislative surge money coming to Bottineau County, the county commissioners wanted to utilize some of their money to renovate and expand the courthouse’s jail.

However, with last minute changes to the surge bill the county will not be able to use the money for the jail project; but, the county is hoping the city of Bottineau will share some of its $3.1 million state’s surge money for the project, which last Tuesday didn’t appear to be the case for the city.

The county commissioners invited the city council members on April 14 to discuss the possibility of sharing a portion of the $3.1 million they received from the state in surge money to assist the county in its renovation and construction undertaking of the jail.

The commissioners explained to the aldermen that just prior to the surge bill being taken to a vote at the capitol the legislators removed the commissioners’ ability to utilize their surge money on any project of their choosing. Instead, they amended the bill to state that the county’s money could only be utilized on roads and bridges being used by oil and gas companies. 

When it comes to the city’s surge money, the state will allow cities that received money to apply their dollars to any project they choose.

“For the past two years the jail has been full,” said Northeast Judicial District Judge Michael Sturdevant. “Last Friday, I had to let a guy go because we didn’t have room in the inn (jail) and gave him a break because he had another 30 days to go and we had people who needed incarceration more than he did. Those are the type of decisions we are making now when we do not have enough room for everybody.

“I have been at this for nine years now,” Sturdevant added. “In the first six years on the job we had zero Double AA Felonies, which is the most serious crime in North Dakota. The last three years we have had 16 of them.”  

Presently, the county’s jail has four cells and nine beds which have been utilized in the county for 40 years and needs immediate updating besides extra beds just to keep criminals off the streets in the county and to allow the police department to operate a safe and up-to-date jail system in the courthouse. 

With the overflow at the jail, prisoners are being sent to Rugby’s Heart of America Correctional and Treatment Center, which costs Bottineau County $65 a day for each prisoner. The average cost per month for the county at Rugby’s facility is $5,000, which doesn’t include traveling expenses or additional cost of the deputies who have to transport the prisoners. 

At the moment, there are six prisoners in Bottineau’s jail and four in Rugby’s facility. Of the four jails in Bottineau each cell has two prisoners in them, and the other cell is holding Jeremy Rios who committed the double murder at Turtle Mountain Pork and has to be housed alone.

The jail cells also have issues with cell doors, plumbing and the overall layout of the jail and the safety of the department and the courthouse’s staff.   

“We have a full house,” Studervant said. “And, it looks like it is going to be that way for the foreseeable future and sooner or later we’re going to have some serious issues. We have some dangerous people here and we are not equipped to have them.”

To date, the county has $1.2 million saved for the project. 

Tim Sanderson, Bottineau City Council member and police committee member, stated the jail is important, but felt that the city had other interests with its surge money.  

“I don’t think there is a person in this room who doesn’t have concerns over the jail,” Sanderson said. “For some of us, and I’m not speaking for every council member, but there are some of us who are dead set against our surge money going for anything but something that really helps the city.

“This (the jail) really helps the city, and we’re not against it,” Sanderson added. “But, if you think we are going to give up our $3.1 million without a fight you’re crazy. Seriously, we are talking about helping the school board with some of our money and maybe we ought to help the county that way, too.” 

Sanderson encouraged the commissioners to raise the money by requesting a half percent tax from the people of the county, which he feels could raise around $1.2 million a year.      

There were some concerns by commissioners about utilizing a tax because they know the Bottineau School District is going to be making a third bid in getting a school building project passed by the voters this fall; and, they do not want to burden the taxpayers with additional tax. They would rather do it internally.

In the end, the commissioners made the decision to request 15 percent of the surge money that each city in the county received from the state to assist in the jail project. 

The cities include Bottineau, Lansford, Maxbass, Newburg, Souris, Westhope and Willow City. 

The county will request from Bottineau $500,000 for the project.
Considering the number of projects each city has planned for its surge money, it is uncertain at this time how much money the commissioners will be able to raise to assist in the courthouse’s jail project. 

One thing is certain though, a new jail is needed in the county, especially with crimes on the rise in Bottineau County.