Possible New County Jail

Four area counties may have a new central jail to help house prisoners from different counties. The final plans are still in the infancy stages, but county officials are moving forward with preliminary plans for a new regional jail. That includes coordinating all officials involved. Sheriffs and Commissioners from Vernon, Barton, Cedar and Dade counties are teaming up to create a new regional jail.The funding is still in question, because money from the state of Missouri doesn`t seem to be an option due to current budget restrictions. If the four counties combine their resources,the project could happen. Officials say plans for the prison would contain a medical and mental facility. They say a new jail would be beneficial because it would be a boost to the economy of the county that houses the jail, and would create new jobs. "It would be our hope that this facility would be located in Vernon county. I say that for a couple of reasons,first of all Vernon county has the highest population of the four counties in the circuit. We also have the reinforcement that would be required for a facility of this type.Whether it be roads, water, sewer hospitals, fire protection all of those things that need to come into play when you talk about a facility of this size,"said Charlie Johnson, Vernon County Commisioner. As of now, the commissioners have not set a completion date for breaking ground on the project. That issue plus the final cost of the project will have to be decided before plans can progress. Reported By:Brad Douglas