Jail decision welcome, long overdue

When the County used the City's "holding cells" was the County responsible for any costs related to maintenance and upkeep? I'll answer that, no. If the HVAC went out, it was City responsibility, if plumbing went down, again the City. It would have been less expensive to build the jail with the municipal bldg BUT, who's to say that the County would have footed any of the costs after it was erected?

I'm for the jail, BUT I get tired of the ongoing blame game that those supporting the county play against the City of McCook.

The City needed to get themselves into compliance. The Administration offices were not handicap accessible, the Emergency Response Center was falling apart and all I seem to hear from the County is a loud "poor me" cry out for sympathy.

I'm generally not quite so blunt but here it is, the fact that the county saddled up the City for an all but free ride on the holding cells is their own decision made available by the City of McCook. Then when the City needed to better their situation, it is made to seem as though the City stabbed the county in the back.

Grow a pair, quit looking for the free ride, if you need to build, then build but don't point fingers and blame others to take the focus off you. We all know who made these decisions, there's no hiding if things turn ugly, if we're bold enough to make decisions without voter input, then be accountable as well. Do make the decisions then start finger pointing, saying...... What was that? Oh "the county was forced by circumstances and legal obligation to deal with the jail issue,".

I'm venting because I'm tire of hearing the City being compared to and blamed for, county issues. Man up or shut up I say.... Either the project have enough merit to justify itself or it doesn't. If it does, then the proof is in the pudding, if it doesn't and the City need be used as some form of scapegoat, then don't proceed.

Again, I think it can be justified, but I don't know all the truths that the public isn't privy to. If it were me, I would have made the majority public shoulder the burden and put it to vote.... But I've been told before that I don't know anything.

Nick you are right in many ways. We have a county and city that can't work together and a taxpaying public that has to pay for it. HOW ARE WE GOING TO FINANCE 2-24/7 GROUPS OF FTE's? I don't care what the cost of the facilities are. I don't care how many facilities there are. I care that we as the taxpayer are being run over by power-hungry individuals without being given a say. Instead of working together and actually looking out for the taxpayer like the county claims (hides behind, Earl), they have burdened us with a second staff to finance. Somebody tell me I am wrong.

The county is not the guilty party here, though they were in the 80's when the city actually wanted to work together and the county would not. It is not any of today's commissioners who have created this problem and unfortunately, yes, we are going to be held reponsible for both the city and the county's past lack of cooperation. That being said, this jail should be built and it should be built where it is going. This jail makes more sense than the new city building and if anyone thinks that having a new city building is going to bring jobs to McCook, they are wrong. It's not the building you work out of but rather the work you accomplish no matter what building you are in that counts. The county has been lucky with all of the prisoner transportation they have done; now, with no city holding facility, they will be forced to provide even more transportation 24 hours a day until the new jail is built. Consider the fact that every DUI, every arrested person that has to be held for bail, etc., has to be housed somewhere and then understand what not having a facility in McCook is going to mean in manhours and mileage. I applaud our Commissioners for taking a step forward to solve a problem that has been ongoing. As a final note, while the county didn't provide the city with repair money, I believe the last figure I saw was in the neighborhood of $ 48,000 a year that they paid the city for a holding facility and dispatching. Don't ever forget that the county by law has to hold prisoners...those arrested by the city of McCook, the county, the State Patrol or by Wardens, etc., within our boundaries. It is the County's responsibility and we finally are going to do it within our own boundaries.

The county pays separately for prisoners and it's actually $45,000 per year just for dispatching. The chief has said before that he had to add an additional position to cover the additional responsibilities for county dispatching and jailer duties. I wouldn't be surprised if the county just does their own dispatching. Wonder what happens with that added city position? Remember, the closest thing to immortality is a government agency and that includes the positions it adds along the way.

They tried a city-county facility and the voters turned it down. Besides, the city is so afraid that a joint facility was a step towards regional law enforcement that it would have been dismantled from the inside and they would have come up with some weak explanation for it. Never underestimate a veteran city employee's ability to blow enough smoke to fool people i.e... we need another 4WD for the police department for ALL that mud they get into to. Of course, if the Chief wasn't driving the one they already have around town all day, they could just use that one and save taxpayers another $20,000+.

Muse, to say that the jail is needed more than the City municipal building is simply a biased opinion. The Emergency Response Center was not up to code. THAT is the reason the county didn't want to utilize it. Without proper housing for the equipment and emergency staff, we have issues.

The administration office was / is not ADA compliant and therefore needs revamping. Now all this can be done through remodeling, massive updating, and that results in an updated facility in the shell of an old building. That building will then require remodeling sooner than later adding increased cost. Was the facility needed? You tell me...... How many new sets of tires can you put on an old car before the motor shoots out? putting new tires on an old car keeps the wheels turning but it's still an old car.

I'm not saying that the jail isn't needed, I'm saying that the issue is NOT the fault of the City of McCook. The issue wouldn't be a force issue if the jail debacle would have been addressed years before the matter became serious. One can not make a sound decision when forced to make a rushed decision. That forced decision was by the hand of poor planning not the sudden and unpredicted loss of a current holding facility. In the county's defense though, who could have predicted that the aged and out-of-compliance holding cells would have come to the point of being unusable? That certainly must have been blind sided shot to the back of the head huh?

It's a voter issue in my opinion, but denying the public to voice their opinion just indicates that those in charge know more, know better, and are uninterested in the public view. Isn't there a name for such a thing? Communisim seems to come to mind.

I am glad I'm not the only one! Well said Nick Mercy.

Just too bad the county commissioners from back in the 80's would have just "bit the bullet" and built a jail then. As our infamous Speaker of the House likes to say often: We are kicking the can down the road. They have kicked it as far as it will go. That is what the commissioners have been doing for years, it was easier to keep on truckin' em on down the road to Trenton or Curtis or wherever.

The city decided to modernize facilities before being forced to upgrade old buildings. Don't blame them for forcing the county's hand. The county has had 30 years to build a jail and past commissioners have ignored it and kicked the can down the road.

money money money. everyone wants to spend my tax money. is there any reason these new eqiptments need to be so flashy. 4 wheel drive suv police cars and chrome plated ambulances. how does that make my emergency responded to faster? if i'm not wrong the police jourisdiction ends at the city limits. last i knew, we didn't have any dirt roads in the city limits. too much for too little is what i say.

BT.... You're rediculous. I think you posted on the wrong page. Better check out the water slide article. I'm sure that is the page you're wishing to ridicule.

While we're on the topic though, the 4 wheel drive vehicle was a value purchase. The two wheel drive would have cost more to procure, so in the end, you're tax money was saved for a better SSV. And there ARE dirt roads in McCook, up by the hospital for example. What happens when a chase ensues within the McCook city limits then proceeds out of town? Does the chase end at the City limits? If so, how easy would robbing a bank or convenience store be?

i'm rediculous? your an idiot nick. I was mistaken but you corrected me and while you were showing me the error of my rant, you made a mistake too. 3 read rule is what it should have been. by the way nick, I'd say it would be plenty easy to get away with it. did they ever find the truck that hit the light pole

easy, see

BT, I did some checking with the local law enforcement there in McCook. Driver caught and cited. Nuf said.

The only thing "ridiculous" about this is that this den of thieves continue to hold office. You may not get a vote on the jail, but you get to vote on your commissioner.

Pretty strong words, speak-e-z, considering you are hiding in the shadows when you shout them. I would venture to guess you believe the City Council and other leaders of the City of McCook are correct in their decision making process while spending tax payer money. I believe the county is doing their best with the hand they have been dealt.

Todd Cappel

Just a couple of questions. First of all, did the city council put the new safety center on the ballot and allow the citizens to vote on it? My memory says that they did. How much money is being spent on a building that will house all of the police department all of the fire department and all of the city administrative offices? Seems like it is right around 5 million. The citizens of McCook had a choice in this matter and voted in favor of it. Now the county, and others, are saying that McCook forced them to do something that should have been done eons ago. And, the county is going to ramrod this thing with a vote on HOW McCook will pay for it not IF they want it or not. Now, how long has the county been "borrowing" the city's holding facility? How long has the county had time to plan and build a new jail? In alot of the posts I read I find it quite ironic that some of you find a way to blame the city for the county's problem. I remember when the fire marshal shut down the county jail because it failed to meet the standards. The city, being the good patrons they are, offered to help the county out by allowing them to use the holding facility located at the police department. Now its 30 years later and no long term plans for a jail and that's the city's fault? I think they've been dealt a very good hand and folded.

That's what I'm saying... The county supporters blame the City for their woes. I would say they are using the City as a distraction.... Point at something irrelevant to take the attention off themselves. Magicians do it all the time, its called "misdirection". It works well for magicians, but keep in mind, the entire goal of a magician is to fool and perplex their audience.... That sounds fairly consistent to what we have going on at the county level of politics, doesn't it?

It is too bad both of you can't publicly support the city on these blogs. Are both of you a residents of McCook?

I really look forward to your comments on my next op ed. You can really tell when you have made a liberal mad by how they react to a conservative opinion piece. Have fun.

Todd, get off your soapbox about pseudonyms or aliases. You've been given reasons for them. Swallow them and shut up. Moreover, if you were as right-wing as you think you are, you'd have a problem with this too.

Who cares about who is to blame. I don't. Really. I care that we have elected officials who are so arrogant that they cannot get along with other elected officials and leave only broken taxpayers in their dust. You, Todd, of all people, should understand economics of running a business. Would you rather pay for one full-time staff, or two? Would you rather have one office to worry about (if it could handle the volume) or two? I would prefer to buy one toy for my two children instead of two should it suffice as it will cost me half the money. If they can't get along, then I get stuck buying two. I love my children, they will stay mine. I can vote for new elected officials who have the good of the constituency in mind.

I am curious as well, is your first response to call someone a liberal every time? I think if you did your research, the posters on this blog are far more well-thought conservatives than you. I am not putting myself in that group, just observing. I will say that I equate you to a right wing Michael Hendricks. Take your ball and go home.

Speak-e-z,

Obviously you support the city. That is your right. I think what the city did with the sales tax vote was arrogant and deceitful.

Your full time employee analogy should have been directed to the city when they built their own facility.

Mr. Cappel, are you a resident of McCook? Do you own a business in McCook? Is it really any of your business if I'm living there in McCook or not? I will tell you that I have alot more invested in McCook Nebraska than you would ever care to know about. No, I'm not a current resident of the fine city of McCook but I support what they are doing and get back there every chance I get. I grew up there and still proudly call it home. You, Mr. Cappel, seem to have an axe to grind with McCook. Maybe You , Mr. Cappel, need to get out and smell the roses a bit like I have. If you don't like what's happening in McCook, move away, go to another community where they are "doing everything right" A community like that probably doesn't exist in your mind. I do publicly support McCook. I just get tired of hearing how McCook caused all of the county's problems. That is simply not true.

Does McCook not exist within Red Willow county?

How does one support McCook and not Red Willow county?

I do not understand why these two government agencies can't work together to keep everyone's taxes low. I would have liked to see them work together as a former resident of the city of McCook and now just a resident of Red Willow county.

My response was primarily to the "den of thieves" label from Speak-e-z. Obviously this person might be inclined to think the county is doing something illegal. The city, however, is totally innocent as they spend tax dollars in a similar manner.

That feels like words placed in my mouth. Oh well. You agreed with what I am saying. They needed to work together instead of two groups trying to out-do each other. I am as disappointed in one as I am the other. If ramming a separate facility with a separate staff to attempt to fund without our say is not illegal, shouldn't it be? I am not claiming to be an expert, but I am so uncomfortable with what is going to happen to my tax bill at this point, I have to type something and vote somehow.

Speak-e-z

If you feel that is illegal then a complaint should be filed with the proper authorities. Where was all of the outrage when the city decided to do there own facility? At the end of the day you are not happy with what the county is doing and I haven't been happy with the city for their actions. Through these posts I do agree that both should have worked together for a joint facility, but that cannot happen now because of a lot of reasons.

Simply put, you ask, "Where was all of the outrage when the city decided to do there own facility?". I can answer that. They were at the polls voting for the project. And obviously, the majority of them voted for the project. End of Story.

Really??? No one from outside city limits qualified to vote on the city municipal center or the city sales tax. But now everyone within the city limits of McCook can help pay for the jail and the new city facility. This is just getting started.