During a discussion I was involved in concerning these propositions, an idea was floated by someone smarter than I.
Why not ask the state to turn over Larch Mountain Correctional, apparently no longer in use, instead of requesting the already crushingly overtaxed people of Clark County to fork over even more of their hard-earned cash?I don't know the current condition of Larch. But it would seem to me (and the person suggesting this alternative) that it would be a great deal cheaper to update a closed prison than it would to pay for the cost of massive new construction.
The reality? The jail expansion as envisioned will only result in an increase of 220 beds. And when this project goes way over budget (as the vast majority of government projects inevitably will) then what?
The idea that $366 million, before the inevitable cost overruns, will only result in an additional 220 beds?
That's $1.66 MILLION PER BED at current spending levels, a number bound to increase on a per-bed basis.
And that is insane.
An attempt to have the state donate Larch Mountain to Clark County would save most of the money the county is trying to get from an already over-burdened tax paying populace, a burden that will be substantially worse after the next democrat-controlled legislative session.
Thoughts?
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