There has been a resurgence of interest in local government, and I urge all of you to vote in the upcoming primary election Feb. 19. One vote can truly make a difference.

Last fall the county executive, county board and sheriff approved closing the antiquated and unsafe 1954 Alcatraz-era jail located on the sixth and seventh floors of the City County Building. The plan included closing the Ferris Work Release Center on the Alliant Energy campus by moving this function downtown, and adding urgently needed health care beds and program space on top of the more modern jail in the Public Safety Building (PSB). Nearly eliminating the use of solitary confinement for those with behavioral health issues is a critical component as this treatment exacerbates mental health issues. After decades of studies and debate, a decision was made.

Unfortunately, the architects recently determined an earlier design on top of the PSB was not feasible. Instead, they recommend a new tower adjacent to the PSB using a county-owned parking lot. The plan now is to spend 2019 designing a state-of-the-art facility that will actually have 90 to 100 fewer jail beds than we currently have because of ongoing reforms of the criminal justice system. Population projections from 2016 were updated. New cost estimates should be available this spring with actual bidding of the project projected for the first quarter of 2020.

A modern facility with proper health care beds and much needed program space will help inmates get their lives back on track. Also underway is a comprehensive study of the mental health system that I hope will lead to changes so fewer individuals will be in the criminal justice system.

Supervisor Rusk can be reached at rusk@countyofdane.com or 249-9667.