Commissioners Answer Questions Regarding Jail Project

By Editor | March 7, 2025

By Mark Requet

Shelby County Presiding Commissioner Terry Helmick and Eastern District Commissioner Ray Bacon were present to give an update and answer questions from the council regarding the jail project at the Shelbina Council meeting Tuesday, February 25, 2025.

Presiding Commissioner Terry Helmick said, “The original bids came in two million dollars over budget. Our construction contractor negotiated with the contractors that bid, and it drastically reduced it. We’re now approximately $150,000 over the $7.5 million target.”

Shelbina Alderman Nick Broughton asked, “Can you elaborate on what changed because that’s a pretty big decrease?

Helmick responded, “We reduced the size of the building by 1,900 square feet, which was a majority of the cost. I would have to look at the papers to nail down the rest of the cost savings, but there was a lot of negotiating by our construction contractor on his part to reduce the costs. A lot of our local contractors really bit the bullet and reduced their prices, so they’re not going to be making as much on the project, but they want to see it done. I got to hand it to our local contractors for helping out.”

Broughton asked, “You don’t feel that you have taken too much out that it would have a negative impact on the building or the future of the building?

Helmick said the functionality of the building is still there. They didn’t reduce the size of the jail part, with the exception of removing one padded cell.

“Most of what we took out was office space. The original plan was every two deputies were going to have their own office. Now they are going to have cubicles in an open room. So no, I don’t think we’ve damaged the functionality or the longevity of the building,” explained Helmick.

Broughton asked, “So you feel good about the funding that’s in place and going to move forward with the project?”

Helmick responded, yes.

Broughton asked, when the project will be started.

The county is having a groundbreaking ceremony on Friday, March 7, at 10 a.m. and ground work will start shortly after that.

“I don’t have a specific date it will start, but we know the pre-fab walls will be delivered in May, so a lot of the foundation work will be done before that,” said Helmick.

Shelbina Mayor Al Dimmitt asked, “Was there a certain amount of funds that had to be in the bank before you start?”

Helmick said no.

Dimmitt asked, “So you’re getting a loan or how does that working out?”

Helmick said, LG Hart is financing it with $7.5 million worth of bonds.

Alderman Curt Hines asked, “How much have you received from the sales tax so far?”

Helmick responded, “In sales tax, I believe we have received somewhere in the ballpark of $900,000. (been about a year and a half to close to two years).

“Two half-cent sales taxes were passed. One sales tax is indefinite, and the other is a 20-year sunset at which time the project should be paid off.”

Broughton asked, “Proposition 1 was a 20-year loan and Proposition 2, how come it doesn’t have a sunset?”

Helmick said, that’s what’s going to fund the jail. The operation of the facility.

Broughton asked, if the county was hiring additional staff and personal to run this jail in addition to what they currently have?

Helmick explained there will need to be some jailers that will need to be hired on, probably somewhere between four to five people.

Broughton asked if the county was expecting an influx of prisoners to justify more workers?

Helmick said right now, the 911 dispatchers act as the jailers, which is a bad situation. When the new facility is open, they will have jailers, and the dispatchers will no longer have to have contact with the inmates.

Hines asked, “On the half cent tax that is 20 years, what if we hit the numbers sooner than 20 years? Does it still go 20 years or stop?”

Helmick said that was a good question and he would have to research that.

Broughton said, if it’s paid off early whatever the bond issue is, then the sales tax would cease at that point. Whichever comes first, the 20 years or the debt balance.

He then asked, “At one point it was stated in the paper that the Shelbina and Clarence police departments would give 1/8 sales tax of that revenue, is that accurate?”

Helmick said that was not accurate.

“So it was put in the paper incorrectly,?” asked Broughton.

Helmick said, yes.

“That had been discussed during the jail committee planning for this project, but it did not get put in the ballot language when the voters voted on it,” explained Helmick.

Broughton asked, “So we can forget about that?”

Helmick wasn’t sure. He has spoken to Arron Fredrickson about it, but he couldn’t go into specifics of the ideas, but they are looking at net options for covering that.

Brought said, “I just know it was a pretty expensive project and the vote was tight, and you know this raises our city taxes and our sales tax in our town, and businesses reach out. It just doesn’t seem like there was a whole lot of information out there of what was going on.

“You know, taxpayers get a little grumpy and rumors start to fly, so I feel like any more that you guys can be open and transparent about what’s going on I think would be a benefit, not only to us but to you guys too, as I’m sure you received flak about it.”

Helmick said, the paper has been on to him for three weeks now to get some numbers to them that they can print for where we’re at now.

“I’ve been out sick for several weeks and have not gotten that to them. We are trying to be as transparent as possible,” said Helmick.

Broughton asked, “Do you feel like everybody in the county supports the project still?”

Helmick said, “The half of them that supported it from the start. You’re right, the vote was close. Half the people want it, half the people don’t.”

Broughton asked, “Aside from the conditions of the jail and its shape and mold everywhere, what’s another reason to have it?”

Helmick said that’s the main reason. The conditions in that jail are a lawsuit waiting to happen.

Broughton said, “From my understanding, the employees and 911 dispatchers are all in the same area so they’re taking on mold and whatever else?”

Helmick said, The working conditions down there are deplorable. He wouldn’t want to work down there 40 hours a week.

Dimmitt asked, “Who will be responsible for collecting bonds from other counties that might put people in our jail?”

Helmick responded, that’s the sheriff’s responsibility. The counties that they currently house for they have never had an issue with paying the board bills and he doesn’t expect there to be issues.

Dimmitt asked about state placed prisoners.

Helmick said the county doesn’t have state placed prisoners.

Dimmitt asked, “If the state wants to place a prisoner, you guys don’t have to allow that?”

Helmick said correct and the same with federal and the county doesn’t have to take federal prisoners either.

Dimmitt asked how many prisoners will it hold?

Helmick responded, it’s going to be a 30-bed facility. They would be able to expand to 40 and he believes by adding some tubs that you can put out and put a mattress in for people to sleep on.

Dimmitt asked, “Is that two prisoners is a cell or one?

Helmick explained, there’s going to be five bays in the jail, each holding six prisoners, which will allow the county to segregate prisoners. Right now, they can’t have violent offenders in with drug dealers. Right now, they have to send the violent offenders to Macon or Randolph Counties.

Eastern Commissioner Ray Bacon said, “You talked about earlier about having a reason, I guess when into this, learning the idea of being able to ship people away. For example, Macon is running at 100-120 percent capacity and so is Kirksville.

“A lot of these jails that we ship people to obviously cost us money, but it’s going to be farther and farther away which is going to cost us more and more money because so many jails are full. Part of that has to do with the length that they’re staying in the jail.

“They have people that are in there for a longer period of time. We have that too. A lot of the jails in northeast Missouri are just getting full.”

Broughton asked, “Do we think revenue generated from folks in jail will offset some cost? I can’t imagine it being very much, but I could be wrong.”

Helmick said, “Well, I’ll give you a for instance. We had two people last year get sent to DOC that had been in our jail for three years. We got $60,000-$70,000 from the state for that, so yes, the other counties housing inmates with us will help offset some of the operating costs. Not all of it, but it will help.”

Bacon added, “If we take on prisoners from other counties, we get to choose. If we take somebody and we don’t like the way they behave, we can send them back. We get to choose all of that. It’s all on us.

“People say, ‘We don’t want to bring bad people into out county’, no, we get to say. We can shut that down immediately and send them back. I was glad to hear that because I think we could pick up some revenue from other counties, but that’s also something you’re not going to count on.”

Shelbina Police Chief Jeff Brown said, “The last time I was down at the jail, the only people in there were sex offenders. And at the end of the day, whenever they get the jail up and operational, those sex offenders need to be segregated from the other population for obvious reasons.

“And they will make some money off out of county people coming in to be housed here. You can’t count on that because it not a 100 percent guarantee, but at the end of the day that check is written by that county’s treasurer to Shelby County.

“The only other comment I would have, regardless of whether the paper misstated or not, there was conversations early on to get the support of the chief at Clarence and myself on board with this jail project about this 1/8 cent sales tax. I do know that there has been some discussion between the sheriff and the commission about that. Whether it was printed wrong in the paper or not, I don’t know. I didn’t read that clip in the paper.

“As far as the conditions of the jail, quite frankly, whether we like it or not, it is a lawsuit waiting to happen. I mean, yeah, we’re getting taxed for it, but the good thing is that it’s a sales tax. That means somebody from Oklahoma driving through on 36 who stops in at Caseys is also paying for it. We’re not taking on the whole load.

“I’m not trying to stand up for it or against it, those are just some thoughts that I had.”

Hines asked, “So the half-cent tax that is on there forever, according to you we have raised about $900,000 in a year in and half, that would be about $300,000 a year?”

Helmick said, correct.

Hines asked, “And that’s needed to maintain the jail and for help?”

Helmick said for utilities, paying the staff and annual upkeep.

Bacon added, “One example is when it’s all built, we’re going to have a contract with the equipment people or electronics of the jail. They will have a contract with us for so many years.

“We several options and we can go with different people, but for example, it was going to cost us $30,000 a year for that contract for them to basically take care of everything, including setup and other equipment that goes down. That type of stuff on top of utilities and paying jailers we’ll have to hire, that’s where that $300,000 all comes in, plus in 20 years we’ll have to have upkeep for the building of some sort. So, the $300,000 won’t last very long. Any extra money from the $300,000 will remain in a fund for the jail.

“If we have extra money, we would set it aside in case things would happen to the building.”

Bacon said, the only thing he would say about communication is they are doing their best.

“One thing I would like to do is update our website in the next few months and try to make it a lot better where we’re just getting that stuff out so people can go there and see what’s going on. We just haven’t got there yet technology wise,” explained Bacon.

Helmick said, that is in the works, and they will be posting their minutes on the website and information such as this will be on the website.

Bacon added, “Part of that is because of the jail. We know we just need to get more out there. Honestly, the paper does great, but it’s limited to get it in the paper and figure that stuff out.

“We’re hoping to get that website going in the next few months and we can get that website going just refer people to it to see what’s going on, whether it’s pictures or information.”

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