Budget conversations revive jail proposals

As county budget deliberations commence today, proposals for a consolidated Dane County jail are being put at the center, according to a report from the Wisconsin State Journal. Proponents of each proposal are trying to restart the project. One proposed budget amendment would direct the county’s architect to design a five-story jail, tying it with $500,000 to implement criminal justice reforms, while another proposed budget amendment would move about $13.5 million from other county projects to close a funding gap on a six-story jail approved by the board in March. A proposed five-story jail was rejected by supervisors in August, in part over concerns that a smaller facility would lead to overcrowding.