I mentioned, at the conclusion of Part One, that Archuleta County Commissioners Ronnie Maez and Steve Wadley were very clear about one thing at the Tuesday ACRW luncheon at Boss Hogg’s Restaurant. Now that the BOCC has failed twice to get voter approval for their 54-bed Detention Center facility, they intend to build the facility anyway without voter approval, using a clever scheme called ‘Certificates of Participation.’
COPs. An end-run around the Colorado Constitution.
I also mentioned that the cost of this scheme, as I’ve heard it discussed at (poorly attended) Commissioner work sessions, is around $857,000 per year for maybe the next 20 years. That’s the general concept shared during the November and December budget discussions.
From the December 12, 2018 Finance Department presentation at the County Administration building:
We might notice that the calculated cost of this scheme, to the taxpayers, is about $17.2 million (according to my pocket calculator.) Quite a bit less than the $44 million tax increase proposed last November. But because the voters have not approved a tax increase to fund this $17.2 million scheme, the annual $857,000 to pay off the ‘lease’ would be taken out of other County services. Out of road maintenance, perhaps? Law enforcement? Building and planning services? Facilities maintenance?
For 20 years.
Commissioner Ronnie Maez handled most of the speaking duties at the Archuleta County Republican Women’s luncheon on Tuesday, and fielded most of the questions. (He had occasional ‘help’ from Commissioner Steve Wadley.) Before Commissioner Maez began his presentation, we had an invocation prayer to begin the luncheon:
“With the speech today that President Trump will be making, we need extra prayers.
“Grant, oh God, that your holy and life giving spirit may so move every human heart, and especially the hearts of the people of this Land, that barriers which divide us may crumble, suspicions disappear, and hatred cease. That our divisions be healed, that we may live in justice and peace. Through Jesus Christ Our Lord. Amen.”
Did this invocation truly reflect our American values? That the barriers that divide us may crumble? Or are we doing our level best to create stronger, more expensive barriers — to reinforce our divisions, and make them the central feature of American life?
Here’s Commissioner Ronnie Maez, talking about the two failed ballot measures:
“Are there things we could have done different? Sure, there were a lot of things we could have done different. But we are where we’re at, right now.
“Currently, we’re looking into Certificate of Participation. Which means, we’re looking into putting our County into debt to build a jail. That’s our only recourse right now, other than going back and asking the voters for another vote, again, which puts us another $850,000 to La Plata County. Approximately.”
Commissioner Maez, throughout his presentation, struggled with fictitious numbers, such as this “$850,000 to La Plata County.” According to Sheriff Rich Valdez, speaking later at the same luncheon, the County is paying “an average of $30,000 to $36,000 a month” to La Plata County for inmate housing in Durango. That average suggests maybe $400,000, or less, spent on inmate housing. Less than half the number tossed out by Commissioner Maez. And less than half the amount Archuleta County spent in 2014 operating our own 34-bed jail in the downtown Courthouse, when our actual Detention Department costs were $1.0 million. (Source: 2016 County Budget, page 173.)
I’ve attended maybe two dozen ACRW luncheons over the past several years — occasionally, as a presenter myself — and I’m fairly well acquainted with the club’s leadership and general political direction. I honestly didn’t think anyone at the luncheon would question Commissioner Maez’ numbers and assertions, other than perhaps local activist Mark Weiler. I expected the club members would fully support and endorse the idea of a $17.2 million ‘Certificate of Participation’ debt scheme for a 54-bed jail.
But the luncheon had in fact attracted a fair number of local voters skeptical of the current BOCC plan. As it turned out, about half of the questions and comments fielded by Commissioners Maez and Wadley were highly critical of the ‘COP’ scheme.
Such as this comment from a local voter:
“I totally agree with this other lady over here, and with a lot of the people in the room. And it does seem like you [Commissioners] are just wanting to move forward with this, and ignore what the majority have voted against.
“Why don’t you give us something that we can vote ‘Yes’ for? We understand we need a jail. But the people have said ‘No’ — twice — and it seems like you are just planning on ignoring the people.
“The American way is the Vote. And you guys just want to ignore the people? And get mad at the people?”
Commissioner Maez:
“Are you suggesting that we build a smaller facility [than 54 beds]?”
Audience member:
“Yes, if that’s necessary [to win the vote].”
Commissioner Maez:
“Well, it’s not necessary. It’s what’s been recommended by Sheriff Valdez and our consultants. The Sheriff may be the one who wants to compromise on a smaller facility. But I’m looking at the future.”
There are many ways to look at the future, I suppose. Commissioner Maez, it would appear, looks at the future and sees a huge increase in the number of people locked up in a local detention center. Our average daily count of inmates in Archuleta County, between 2010 and 2018, was less than 19 per day. (Source: Archuleta County Undersheriff Tonya Hamilton.) Seems to me like a rather small number, compared to a 54-bed facility.
Other people are looking into the future and seeing fewer people locked up. President Trump seems to be one of them, and so does the US Congress, including the 2018 Republican majority that passed the First Step Act — a bipartisan criminal reform measure signed by Trump last month. That measure made maybe 2,600 Federal prisoners eligible for immediate release, and another 50,000 over the next ten years. That’s about a quarter of the total Federal inmate population. According to Inimai Chettiar, of the Brennan Center for Justice at New York University’s law school, it will be the largest federal effort to reduce prison populations ever enacted.
That’s, like, ever.
The new law was supported by the ACLU, New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Fraternal Order of Police, the Centre for American Progress and the Koch brothers, among others. Liberals and conservatives alike.
However, most of the incarceration in America… a nation with 5 percent of the world’s population, that incarcerates 25 percent of the world’s inmates… most of that incarceration takes place in local jails and state prisons… not in Federal prisons.
Our existing 32-bed County detention center was abandoned in 2015 following a roof leak. Seems to me, it could easily be renovated (for much less that $17 million) to accommodate an average of 19 inmates per day. And the inmates who, for whatever reason, required ‘segregation’ from other inmates could be housed at the La Plata County Jail. Seems to me.
But Commissioners Wadley and Maez have big plans, to lock up a lot of unfortunate community members and ruin their lives, at least temporarily. Big, very expensive plans that will likely leave our roads in worse shape than they already are…