Benton County voters are being asked to fund a new jail. The measure is a $25-million bond to build a 110-bed jail near Philomath. It would replace the aging facility adjacent to the courthouse in downtown Corvallis.
Benton County's 40-bed jail, built in 1976, is too small, according to the sheriff, County Commissioners and the people who work there. On a tour this summer, Sheriff's Captain Diana Rabago pointed out that the building is also deteriorating, with malfunctioning door-locks, leaking showers, and inefficiencies in layout that can be unsafe for workers.
Rabago: "The way this building is designed we literally have to have a staff member physically walk back and weave in and out of every place back there to actually check on inmates."
The county has been making its case for a new jail. The Sheriff held meetings and offered public tours over the past several months. Opponents of the measure say Benton County is one of the safest in the country and a new jail is an unnecessary expense.
The deadline to vote in the Special Election is Tuesday, November 3rd at 8 p.m.
