Sheriff fights plan to delay opening of new jail
Clark County officials want to put off opening a new low-level offender jail for at least year to save $13 million in operating costs and offset an expected budget shortfall.
But Sheriff Doug Gillespie doesn’t like the idea. Today, the sheriff lambasted the proposal, saying the county’s detention center is overflowing. He suggested making 250 of the new jail’s 1,038 beds available to ease crowding.
If the new facility did not open on time, the county would end up paying $11.3 million per year for the lease on an empty, 200,000-square-foot complex, beginning in July.
Commissioners will be asked to decide Tuesday whether to delay the jail’s opening. The facility would house inmates arrested for nonviolent crimes and misdemeanors.
Contact reporter Scott Wyland at swyland@reviewjournal.com or 702-455-4519.