The $65 Million Jail That Will Never Be A Jail

I was all set with a post today complaining about the lack of local media coverage of the $65 million jail that isn’t. That changed because Joe Smith at The Vineland Daily Journal has a piece in the paper today. So does the Press of Atlantic City.

Fortunately, I can still complain about the $65 million the County Freeholders already bonded (borrowed) to build the jail.

Before I get to complaining consider what was reported in The Vineland Daily Journal:

Cumberland County Jail would cease holding prisoners on more than a short-term basis under a plan county government is  formulating to outsource inmates to one or more facilities in South Jersey.

The plan was confirmed publicly on Monday and follows on a July 17 announcement from Freeholder Director Joseph Derella that the county would not start construction of a jail off South Burlington Road in Bridgeton to replace the current jail at 54 West Broad St. That announcement had described the construction suspension as a pause to examine options.

To put that in plain English for you – what has been reported is that even though Cumberland County has already borrowed $65 million to build a new jail, they have plans to not hold prisoners in any jail, old or new.

So where does the borrowed $65 million go? Does the county simply pay it back, lump sum? How about the interest payments on the borrowed money? Are taxpayers still on the hook for the interest payments?

I don’t know the answers to those questions. I do know the Daily Journal’s report said:

(Freeholder Director) Derella, in a statement on Wednesday, said the county would save $8 million to $10 million in the first year of revised operations. Savings would be in the millions in following years, too, he said.

“With savings of this magnitude, we are anticipating no increase to the county tax levy for the next three years,” Derella added. The tax levy is the amount of money property owners pay toward the annual county government budget.

Savings? What savings? You borrowed $65 million. Someone has to pay that back with interest. That someone is the taxpayers of Cumberland County.

Cumberland County taxpayers would have been better off just flushing money down the toilet!

Cumberland County taxpayers should be angry. Their Democrat led Freeholder Board, the folks beholden to the Norcross political cartel, borrowed $65 million to build a floor on some dirt. No walls, no roof, no nothing. Just a $65 million floor. To add insult to injury they didn’t even bother laying any tile on the floor.

If nothing else, Cumberland County taxpayers now have 65 million reasons to vote Republican.  Victoria Lods, Darwin Cooper, Tony Romero should have no problem laying out their opponents on this $65 million floor.

There’s going to be more to come on this story. Stay tuned!