Comparing the cost of the proposed Jail to surrounding Jails is not accurate because the price of Steel increased 56% since 2004!

Each time Forsyth decides to postpone approving the Jail, the more the price of steel will continue to skyrocket (unless China suddenly slows down their recent massive consumption of steel).

Now is the time to build a jail to protect Forsyth County citizens. Our safety is in your hands.....Vote yes for the Jail!

Background information.................
Steel Cost in 2004: $482/ton
Steel Cost in 2008: $1099/ton

USA Article from 2/20/2004
The price of a ton of hot-rolled coil steel in the USA hit $482 in February 2004, up 66% from the recent low set in June 2003, steel consulting firm Meps International said Thursday.

Prices are rising because of a variety of other factors, most notably skyrocketing demand from China's rapidly expanding economy. Last year, China's steel demand rose 38 million tons, the equivalent of the annual steel usage in Mexico and Canada combined, says Peter Fish, managing director at Meps in Sheffield, England. The more China buys, the less steel is on the market.

In the last 4 years, Steel increased 107%!!!! (not 56%)

(sorry for the earlier 56% typo in my previous posting!)

Imagine that.....107% increase in the price of steel since 2004. This confirms comparing jail prices from 2004 is not a fair comparison.

Great job getting these figures Cindy. Maybe you can share this with TerryB on his blog about voting No on the subject of a jail. He is so enamored at how much this is going to cost vs other counties but he doesn't consider the logistics. Yes this jail is going to cost 100 million and Cindy has shown us why. I think this should finally be approved before the Justice department forces us to build a larger jail for more cost to us, the taxpayers. Building a new jail has gone on for 10+ years and it is now time we do it. Those of you that are concerned about its location. Why is it so different than where its located now? 1/4 of a mile doesn't make much difference if a criminal escapes. One could walk that in 5-10 minutes.

I agree it will cost less to build now, rather than waiting until an inmate complains to the U.S. Justice Department about the condition of our current facility, and the Justice Department orders that the County build a facility or face fines that will be compounded daily. This is nothing more than what really is a "NIMBY" protest. What will we do when the County is ORDERED by the Federal Government to build a new facility?

Hey I wasn't even on this thread, but since I was mentioned here I am!

May I ask, what are the projections for the population based on? If it was based on some sort of study, does anyone know which one? If it was a nationally normed study based on a metropolitan area, I would say the numbers projected for the amount of inmates expected MAY be incorrect. So I am questioning the numbers of the inmates this jail is based on. Our crime rate is extremely low compared to a lot of metro areas. We are unique in that way.

Plus, if our jail is projected to possibly grow to around, 1000, I DO NOT ever want to see this county try to justify housing other inmates here in order to attempt to make money. No thanks, Not here.

What's the operational costs?

By the way, court ordered, may not be a bad thing either.

What does this translate to the average homeowner in taxes per year... rents will go up too.

I am strapped financially, I can't afford my taxes going up right now.

If Obama gets in, plus we have a jail to fund.. you will see your income tax go up, your income shrink, your property go up.

I am so sorry to burst your bubble, but does anyone realize how much in the read both the county and the state are in?

Where is the money coming from for the average homeowner making an average wage. My family is like Joe the Plumber, we are not made of money.

When this county stops it's wasteful spending and we get a proposal for a reasonably priced SMALLER jail, I would be all for it.

I am tired of scare tactics by politicians. This is nothing new when they want to spend taxpayer money.

*meant to say your proerpty taxes will go up, on top of income taxes....

We have to look at the big picture. I don't even live in the area and this is not a NIMBY issue for me. It is a financial issue only.

terryb,

We all are strapped financially, but this jail is one of the necessary evils, as if we cannot afford to house our own inmates, we really cannot afford to house them elsewhere.

So what could that lead to? Releasing "non dangerous" criminals back into the community. Look at the City of Atlanta and Dekalb & Fulton Counties, wher a majority of crime being committed is done by those who have been released or out on bail to attempt to keep the jail population down to meet the Justice Department's jail management requirements. Do we want that here in Forsyth County?

I believe the financial risks outweigh any benefits and that we would be advised to vote “no at least for this election cycle. Although there would be some short cost savings, we are saddling ourselves with a huge amount of debt to service at a time when we are already experiencing terrible budget problems. Moreover, this is a difficult time to be raising money, when even GE – without a budget shortfall – has to pay a huge premium to get the money it needs. The price of steel has not yet fallen sufficiently to catch up with price reductions in raw materials and plummeting demand.

With the risk of overpaying for debt and steel, and without the cash flow to pay for the debt, caution must therefore be our guide.

On the subject of homeowners, I know a lot of the objections come from those in the immediate neighborhood. I don’t live there but am familiar with it having once had a good friend in the subdivision affected. In this respect, the vote on the jail is also setting an important precedent in whether we, the citizens, are willing to give our commissioners carte blanche to do whatever they want and whether we are prepared to allow land to be purchased and facilities built over the cries of our neighbors. Not in that neighborhood? Consider the post war poem: First they came. “When they came for the teachers I remained silent: I was not a teacher… When they came for me, there was no one left to speak out.

Who will speak out for you when there is a new Wal*Mart or garbage dump or apartment complex going up next to you? This is not just a matter of long term financial drain: it is a matter of principle and a matter of precedent.

Another possibility exists to finance the projects with lease-revenue bonds. In that way we would not have to use any taxes and instead rely on the revenue generated by the facility itself. At the end of the indebtedness it would be owned by the County.