YELLVILE -- The Marion County Jail has until May 2017 to create a plan to correct deficiencies at the facility.
The Baxter Bulletin reports that a recent letter from the Criminal Detention Facilities Review Committees allows the 37-year-old jail to operate under probationary or operational status.
Plumbing, flooding and mold issues, as well as deterioration of bed fixtures and window security fixtures were found during a May inspection by the committee. The report says the jail also lacks a proper booking area, a cell for inmates with disabilities and cells meeting the proper footage requirements.
According to the inspection, the jail cell locks do not work at times and the facility often operates at or above the inmate capacity of 18.
Marion County Sheriff Joan Vickers said she was surprised the committee, which is an office of the state Department of Finance and Administration, gave officials until May.
"Maybe they're thinking if we don't have something on the ballot in November, then we will have a special election after the first of the year," Vickers said.
Marion County voters rejected a proposed 0.75 percent sales tax that would have funded construction of a 94-bed jail facility in March. Voters did approve a 0.25 percent sales tax increase to fund the operation and maintenance of the new jail.
The sales tax increase is expected to generate $250,000 per year, and the money would go toward helping the county cover the cost of housing prisoners elsewhere if the existing jail is shut down by the state.
Vickers said that if and when another jail request would be put on the ballot would be decided by the Marion County Quorum Court.
Marion County Judge Terry Ott said he planned to bring the jail request back to the quorum court, but he did not have a definite timetable.
State Desk on 06/29/2016