PICKENS COUNTY — After it seemed like a done deal, new options may now be emerging concerning the financing for the new jail facility.
Although the previous Council had earmarked and set aside the entire expected cost of the jail — $23 million — back in 2016, unexpected economic development expenditures at the Commerce Park have raised concerns the county may face a financial crunch in the coming years with so much capitol tied up in one project.
“I would like to make the suggestion that we consider bonding the entire jail,” said Council Chairman Roy Costner during a recent committee of the whole meeting. “Personally my feelings are that if you just bond the entire thing, do it all at once, and that way you can quit saying ‘well, this money’s going to this project and that money’s going to that project’.
“We could do it all at once and know that money is allocated specifically for that (the jail) project,” he said.
Costner said that at this point the county would be “strapped” when it came to future economic development projects — something he had campaigned on.
“The jail is a responsibility of the county, we’ve been putting money aside,” said Councilman Trey Whitehurst. “At some point we’re going to have to build a jail. But now (we’re) saying ‘let’s not use the money we saved for the jail, let’s go borrow it instead.’ I would try to borrow as little as possible just as a policy of debt for the county.”
In December 2016, the council issued a $7.8 million bond to “free up” some of the earmarked funds. At the time it was expected the nearly $8 million buffer would be sufficient to carry the county over.
In an interview with county attorney Ken Roper published in The Easley Progress on Dec. 10, 2016, Roper stated that essentially, the county was “borrowing” the $7.8 million from the $23 million set aside.
“Now, the future Council could come back and revisit that and borrow it all. But we know $7.8 of that money — that we committed to way back when — is now freed up to be spent on day to day things like light bills and police cars.”
Roper’s words spoken several months ago appear to be prophetic as nearly every council member — with the exception of Whitehurst — seems to be open to the idea of an alternative financing plan for the jail.
If the remaining amount of the $23 million is indeed bonded out, it would be one of the largest bonds taken out by the county since the building of the Kimberly Hampton Memorial Library in Easley.
Although no action was taken during the Committee meeting, the issue of how to finance the new jail is expected to be discussed at council’s regular meeting that was rescheduled for March 20.
