JOHNSON
By Caleb Bedillion
Daily Journal
TUPELO – On-again-off-again talks about replacing the Lee County Jail resurfaced Monday as Sheriff Jim Johnson advised county leaders of the current facility’s inadequacy.
Johnson appeared before the Lee County Board of Supervisors Monday morning and provided a briefing about problems at the jail facility.
These problems include outdated electronic systems, malfunctioning security cameras, leaking roofs and broken hot water heaters, as well as heating and cooling problems throughout the building.
The current 202-bed facility was constructed in the mid-1990s.
According to Johnson, his department’s maintenance budget is not sufficient to make all needed repairs.
Some systems in the jail are so out of date that Johnson said repairs had to be performed using replacement parts purchased from eBay.
And the county sheriff isn’t the only one to have noticed the jail’s conditions. Grand jury reports have criticized the facility.
The sheriff was frank that cheap options don’t seem available.
“This is the last thing I ever want to get up and talk about because I know it’s going to be a financial strain,” Johnson said.
District 1 Supervisor Phil Morgan spoke up in favor of a regional jail facility built with cooperation of neighboring counties. Johnson said a regional option has been pursued but looks unlikely to prove workable.
“We may have to tighten our belts and go at it ourselves,” District 5 Supervisor Billy Joe Holland said.
Johnson pointed out that security, safety and his department’s administrative offices are all impacted by the disrepair at the facility.
Over the last several years, supervisors have periodically discussed options to remedy problems at the county jail.
In 2013, an architect told supervisors that a new, 600-bed facility would probably cost nearly $20 million. In 2014, the board hired an architect to update plans for a jail expansion.
caleb.bedillion@journalinc.com
Twitter: @CalebBedillion