Voters rejected two sales tax levies, most recently in 2021, that would have helped fund a jail project. A plan to build a combined 384-bed jail and Sheriff’s administration was adjusted down to 250 beds, due to construction costs. The Sheriff’s office portion of the project was axed, and would instead be built at a later date, officials previously told the Dayton Daily News.
The plan moving forward has been to replace the existing jail by adding over 76,000 square feet to the Greene County Adult Detention Center on Greeneway Blvd. It will add the 250 new beds, and repurpose 232 existing beds for recovery services and mental health counseling programs. The Adult Detention Center is currently used for minimum-security offenders.
The new $15 million will allow the commissioners and the Sheriff’s office to “revisit the project scope,” County Administrator Brandon Huddleson said Thursday.
The county is still on schedule to break ground on the jail this spring or early summer.
“We’re beyond grateful for this announcement and for the financial assistance,” Huddleson said.
The total project cost is $61 million, half of which comes from $30 million in sales tax-funded bonds, issued last April. Just over $10 million comes from revenue replacement from the American Rescue Plan Act, and the remaining $20 million is intended to come from the county’s cash reserves.
The new state funding comes from the Ohio Jail Safety and Security Grant Program, which is part of the state capital budget. Nearly a dozen jails in Ohio will get a combined $50 million in funding for construction, renovation, and security improvement projects in this, the second round of funding.
Miami County gets funding
Miami County will receive $175,000 in funding for a needs assessment to identify the current and future criminal justice needs of the county, according to DeWine’s office, including if they need a new jail.
Sheriff Dave Duchak said it would be a first step in planning for combining the county’s two jails.
Today, Miami County has a jail primarily for felony offenders in downtown Troy and an Incarceration Facility for minimum security inmates located on County Road 25A between Troy and Piqua. The downtown jail was built in the early 1970s while the Incarceration Facility opened in 1999.
Duchak said a request for proposals was prepared with the grant filing. It will need to be reviewed before proposals are sought, and the county commissioners also will need to vote to accept the grant.
“I am glad it worked,” Duchak said of the application for funding, one of three awarded for jail assessments statewide.
“It’s critical that our jails are safe and secure, but it’s also important that our jail environments can influence positive change and put inmates on a good path upon release,” DeWine said. “With this funding, we’re helping these local jails move forward with projects that will allow them to better meet the demands of our modern criminal justice system and further support the growing number of inmates struggling with substance use and mental health issues.”
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