Gillespie not opposed to shuttered low-level offender jail

Sheriff Doug Gillespie withdrew his opposition to keeping the new low-level offender jail closed for a year, ending a tense tug-of-war with some Clark County leaders.

The sheriff publicly expressed his change of sentiment Friday, right after commissioners learned that the county faces a $126 million shortfall.

County officials estimate they would save $13 million by keeping the 1,038-bed jail empty for a year. The county still must pay the $11.3 million yearly lease on the 200,000-square-foot complex, scheduled to be finished this summer.

Gillespie acknowledged that the recession was strapping the county and agreed the jail shouldn't open for a while.

"I feel right now ... this is a prudent decision," Gillespie said at a county budget meeting Friday.

The jail might be used to temporarily house some inmates while the detention center's north tower is being renovated, but he won't hire additional staff, he said.

Commissioners praised Gillespie for relenting.

"I can appreciate what you're going through and I know it's hard," Commissioner Steve Sisolak said. "I commend you for taking this bold step."

In March, Gillespie criticized the plan to stall the jail's opening. He pushed to have 350 beds available there, saying those were needed to ease overcrowding at the county's main jail.

But on Friday he spoke of not wanting to hire jailers this summer and then fire them next year if the county's financial ills worsen.

He pointed to research showing that crime had dropped 6 percent in the past year and 28 percent in the past five years. He also noted that police dispatchers received 2 percent fewer calls this year.

The dip in crime lessens the need for the new jail, he said.

Gillespie credited law enforcement for curbing crime. He asked county officials to track crime and the economy and be willing to open the jail if the trends change.

Commissioner Rory Reid agreed.

"We're going to continue to monitor this with you," Reid said. "For the moment, we're required to make a lot of difficult decisions."

George Stevens, the county's finance director, said falling property values are generating less tax revenue than projected even a month ago.

The latest estimate has the county receiving $126 million less this coming fiscal year to cover operating costs, Stevens said, noting that he'd pegged the shortfall at $114 million in late March.

Although the residential market is about to bottom out, commercial properties could depreciate much more and erode tax revenue next year by as much as $100 million, Stevens said.

Revenue from various taxes, known as consolidated taxes, is down 12 percent so far this year, Stevens said. The county is also at risk of the state taking a portion of its property tax revenue.

"Given the condition of the state budget, everything is on the table," Stevens said.

Gillespie said declining tax dollars made it untenable to open 350 beds at the new jail in November, as he'd wanted.

"They're all going in the wrong direction," he said.

Contact reporter Scott Wyland at swyland@reviewjournal.com or 702-455-4519.