City candidates weigh in on jail issue

City Council candidates weighed in on the proposed county jail/city safety center, that voters in the area will be asked to approve Nov. 7

The question was part of a written questionnaire mailed to all candidates.

Candidates vying for the three, four-year positions are Mayor Dennis Berry, Councilman Phil Lyons, and challengers Lonnie Anderson and Colleen Grant.

Mayor Berry said although he would like to see more city/county cooperation, he is concerned about the West Q location that has been proposed for the 30-bed facility.

"The city/county cooperation on this project has been a positive step," he said. "Specifically on the safety center, the city does need to make improvements but the proposed location causes concerns about response times and additional costs to the city to improve streets."

Councilman Lyons stated he did not support the new facility, as " if the county needs jail, then they should site the jail where they need it." He maintained that the police/fire department should stay where it is for a quick response time to all areas of the city.

Lonnie Anderson said he sees a need for the new facility.

"The need for a jail is evident." he said. "We need to look closely at the entire cost in comparison with the current method of involving surrounding jails by Red Willow County." But, he added that "the upcoming election should show the wishes of the people."

Colleen Grant said she has no strong opinion on the proposed county jail/city safety center but admitted that facilities needed to be improved. She wondered if the facility could be scaled back and the towns that are now taking prisoners could be used for the overflow at less money.

Candidates for the two-year seat on the city council are Marty Conroy, Keenan Coady, Ben Gonzales and Luke Schwartz. Schwartz and Coady did not respond to the written questionnaire.

Conroy supports the joint facility. "This can be the start of city/county projects that ultimately save all taxpayers money," he said. But the biggest hurdle faced by this joint effort, he said, is the costs of recent improvements to the city water and waste water faculties.

Gonzales was cautious of "money eating 'studies'."

"I feel that there should be a lot of thought put into this project before any money is spent on it," he urged.