Video: No New Jail For Lee County After Supervisors Vote To Renovate Existing Facility

TUPELO, MISS. (WCBI) –  There will be no new law enforcement facility in Lee County.

The board of supervisors make the decision today after a presentation by the sheriff, who says it’s time to face the issues with the current jail head on.

Lee County Sheriff Jim Johnson presented three options for supervisors to consider. County leaders opted for the less expensive renovation plan to the current facility. Under this option the Lee County jail would not house inmates for any municipality, other than Tupelo.

“If we stay in that current facility, that we are in, or continue down this path, and I’m forced to stay in this for any length of time, I will have to make a decision to reduce the population,” Sheriff Johnson said during his presentation.

Other plans Johnson wanted supervisors to consider called for an expansion and tax hikes, some larger than others.

Those plans were not an option for some supervisors.

“I was opposed to a tax increase, of that magnitude, any additions, remodeling, anything we do to the current facility will cause a tax increase, maybe, minimum two or three mills, which is bad, but not that bad,” said Phil Morgan, president of the Lee County Board of Supervisors.

Now, Baldwyn Mayor Michael James is worried what it all means for his city and others in the county.

“They’re talking about worrying about raising taxes, and I don’t want to pay taxes any more than anybody else does, but I am smart enough to understand if they don’t provide facilities for municipal inmates, that falls back to be a burden to the city, and at some point somebody’s taxes have to be raised,” Mayor James said.

James believes it would be easier to come up with a plan that would help every municipality. Tupelo Mayor Jason Shelton believes a plan that involves everyone will be worked out.

“That’s what we have to do, we have to sit down together, we have to all be at the same table and have a duty for all of our constituents to work together, to come up with a solution that helps county and each of our municipalities,” Mayor Shelton said.

The 20 year old jail has 202 beds. On Monday morning, 232 prisoners were being held . Johnson says he has already ordered his jail administrator to reduce the number of inmates .

In fact, 35 inmates were released just hours after the meeting. The sheriff says he will not run his jail over inmate capacity any longer.
Tupelo is the only city that has a contract with the county to hold inmates. That contract will expire in April 2019.