Jail Committee Meets with Consultant to Renew Discussions about Jail Construction (View Video Here)
by: Dwayne PageJan 31, 2025
The DeKalb County Jail Committee met Thursday night at the county complex to renew discussions about building a jail.
It was the committee’s first meeting since the Tennessee Corrections Institute voted in December to keep the existing jail certified under a plan of action to address deficiencies and the second meeting since the November referendum when voters soundly rejected the county’s plans to issue bonds up to $65 million to build a judicial center/190 bed jail complex.
Bob Bass, former Deputy Director of the Tennessee Corrections Institute, who now serves as a county correction partnership consultant, met with the entire 14-member county commission, which comprises the jail committee along with County Mayor Matt Adcock and he did a power point presentation of a proposed master plan for the county to follow. The jail committee listened but took no action Thursday night.
With some preliminary work already having been completed such as an inmate housing study, conducted by Jim Hart Jail Consultant and Field Manager of the County Technical Assistance Service (CTAS), as well as plans and proposals by Bell Construction and Treanor Architects, Bass said the county does not have to start the process over. The county’s next step, he said is to develop a master plan for building a jail and to follow it in steps and phases through to completion. Part of that master plan is site selection for the jail, which should come next.
“The county has done a lot of work,” said Bass who spoke with WJLE after the meeting. “This jail as everyone knows is really in jeopardy of losing its certification. The county is actually under a plan of action. It is what TCI allows and its what the law allows. If you can’t fix some ratios like overcrowding in your jail, you can file a plan of action on how you are going to correct that. The plan they (county) originally filed with us (TCI) was to build a criminal justice center and jail. We are all aware of what happened with the referendum. The citizens spoke. They did not want a courthouse, so they (county) are not going to do that,” explained Bass. “The county is now looking at building a jail because that is what they really need. This is going to be less money because you are not paying for a courthouse”.
“They (county) are not actually starting over. What this was about tonight was how to build a master plan. Lets take the good work that has been done, the feasibility studies, the projections, and start putting things in a format, where the county commissioners can follow and tackle one problem at a time, and then go through phases. Obviously, it is going to start with site selection. They have already selected an architect and construction manager. They have already done a study that was provided by CTAS and myself.
All the data is back. They (county) will get to make decisions on how big it (jail) needs to be built. They will start a concept development and once the concept is done the construction manager will help give them a cost. They will look at the financing to see what they can afford and then they will move forward with it,” said Bass.
Asked what he thought the minimum number of beds should be; Bass suggested a minimum of 150 though he added that decision would be left up to the county.
“Bed space is based on historical data and then its done on population growth and projections. Its also what your incarceration rate is. How many people are you arresting in your county. You look at what your population is today and what your population growth is going to be 20 years out,” said Bass. “We already know that when this process began five years ago you were keeping around 100 inmates and somebody decided to go down in the basement (older jail) and put in a makeshift jail that did not meet our standards. We (TCI) had to show the jail at what it is today at actually 51 beds (down from 102 certifiable beds) They (county) can no longer use that (basement) which immediately put them overcrowded. A 100-bed jail is not sufficient. They (county) have that now. They are farming people out. They (county) have options. You can do 150 beds, shell it out and add 50 more beds later. The actual (future) projection (based on the CTAS study) was around 270 beds,” said Bass.
Asked if the county could just build initially for 125 beds, Bass said “it’s still going to be under a plan of action after you spend all that money (for 125 beds). You’re still going to have those state regulations. Regulatory is not what we do but our standards have to be met in order to be certified. I would say 150 beds is very minimum. I really believe in the science, so they (county) really need to look hard at what that (CTAS) study says and what the (future) bed projection shows but let’s be realistic. We need to build what we can afford and if we can’t afford 272 beds today maybe we can afford that in say five years. So let’s build it where it can be expanded and added onto relatively easy without a lot of extra cost,” said Bass.
Asked if the county could build on the existing site of the jail, Bass said “I have never been a proponent of doing that. It’s a site that is not going to work. You could tear it down and start over and it wouldn’t work. That property will not support that size of a footprint of a jail they need today. It (jail annex) was set up as a dormitory facility with no isolation cells. They (DeKalb Jail) don’t have a cell up there to put just one person in. Refitting it (jail annex) would be so expensive, and you would lose square footage you have now,” Bass explained.
“Your compatibles and non-compatibles (prisoners) you have to keep separate. What we are seeing is a trend toward more violent inmates. Years ago, the standard rule in the industry was about 10% of your jail cells had to be isolation cells. If you had a 110-bed jail, 10 of those cells needed to be solitary, one person cells. That rule is gone now. There is more gang activity even in rural Tennessee and people with anger issues, and more violent crime. Its called classification. When you (inmates) come in you go through a process”.
Although building a dormitory style jail is not preferred, Bass said some county’s still have them.
“That’s part of what we call a housing plan. Tonight, we talked about concept development, and we will do a housing plan. That’s why one jail is different from another. Does the sheriff run a program where he wants to put minimum security in and do work release or they go out? What is he housing and who is he holding. Those studies have been done so when we start doing those housing assignments they will recommend some four person cells, or six person cells, etc. TCI recommends two person cells and to never build a single person cell because the square footage requirements are still the same. You (county) don’t have programs for inmates. Lets have programs for inmates. That is the secret. When they build this new jail lets put them (inmates) out better than they came in,” said Bass.
Although Bass no longer works for TCI as deputy director, his job as consultant is funded by the state, and at no cost to DeKalb County.
“Its an educational based program that TCI offers counties either building jails or expanding. My job is the educational part of it to help with studies or any data needed to be gathered for the decision making. Its at no cost to the county. It is part of what TCI offers,” said Bass.
January 30 Livestock Forage Program Signup Deadline Has Arrived
by: Dwayne PageJan 30, 2025
Do you have cattle, sheep, goats, or equine animals? If so, you could be eligible to receive payment from the DeKalb/Cannon County Farm Service Agency. According to Donny Green, County Executive Director, signup for the Livestock Forage Program will end January 30, 2025.
The Livestock Forage Assistance Program (LFP) was approved on September 24, 2024 for DeKalb and Cannon counties due to recent and extreme drought conditions that have affected livestock grazing during the 2024 normal grazing period. LFP provides compensation to eligible livestock producers that have suffered grazing losses for covered livestock on land with permanent vegetative cover or planted specifically for grazing.
Since the LFP signup began in October 2024, just over 400 livestock producers in DeKalb and Cannon counties have been approved and received $887,909.
If you are a livestock producer and have not filed your LFP application since the signup period began in early October, please visit the FSA office in Smithville to file your application before the January 30, 2025 deadline. There are no approval provisions for late filed LFP applications.
For more information, call the office at 615-597-8225, Ext. 2, or come by the Smithville USDA Service Center located at 647 Bright Hill Rd., Smithville, Tennessee. The Farm Service Agency’s office hours are 8:00 a.m. until 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday.
DeKalb 2024 Property Taxes Due February 28 (View Video Here)
by: Dwayne PageJan 30, 2025
DeKalb County property taxpayers have a month to pay their 2024 county property taxes.
2024 Property taxes are due and payable through February 28, 2025 before any interest becomes due on March 1, 2025. Interest will accrue on March 1, 2025 @ 1.5% per month. If you choose to mail in your tax payment, it must be postmarked on or prior to February 28, 2025 to avoid any accrued interest.
Trustee Sean Driver reported to the county commission Monday night that as of Monday 55.94% had been collected of the $16.5 million in 2024 DeKalb County property taxes to be collected by February 28, 2025 which includes property, residential, commercial, personal, and public utility taxes.
“For prior year 2023 taxes, we were responsible for $12.9 million and at this time we still have about $282,000 out. We are at 97.81% collected. We have notices ready to go out Friday, January 31 that gives individuals that have not paid their 2023 taxes another chance to pay those before April 1, 2025. I do have to relinquish those that are unpaid to the Clerk and Master April 1, 2025.
The Trustee’s office offers up to 6 different options to pay your property taxes:
1. Come in person to the office to pay
2. Mail in your payment
3. Pay online @ www.tennesseetrustee.org, then select DeKalb and follow the instructions to the next screens – The Vendor BIS/I3 Verticals accepts Discover, MasterCard, Visa, or American Express – The Vendor convenience fee of 2.75% on the total tax bill will apply and fees are subject to change using Credit/Debit Cards. Also, a $2.75 fee will be assessed on an E-CHECK payment of any amount. DeKalb County does not collect any online payment fees.
4. A QR (Quick Response Code) is also on your notice to access the website with your I-phone, smartphone, etc. @ www.tennesseetrustee.org
5 A Dropbox is located on the outside of the building at the County Complex (County Offices Section) for your convenience after hours and/or weekends.
6. Partial Payments are accepted, and you the taxpayer sets the amount to pay until full payment is satisfied.
Eligibility for Property Tax Relief:
The State of Tennessee offers qualified property owners Tax Relief on property taxes. This program was implemented in 1973 and the program has a few changes every year. At this time, DeKalb County has 431 applicants on the program for 2024. So, as a property owner for 2024, you can qualify for Tax Relief if:
(A) Your DeKalb County home is your primary residence,
(B) You are 65 years old (or older) on or before December 31, 2024, or
(C) You are under 65 years of age with a totally and permanently disability per SSA or another qualifying agency, and last
(D) Your 2023 Annual Income of all living owners on the deed and their spouses that DID NOT exceed $36,370.00.
If the State of Tennessee qualifies you for Tax Relief, then you can receive a rebate up to $134.00 for the 2024 tax year. You must pay your 2024 tax bill IN FULL to start the application process. Applications are handled, executed, and sent to the State of Tennessee by the Trustee’s office.
The State of Tennessee also offers Tax Relief to Disabled Veterans and the Surviving Spouses of a Disabled Veteran. You must provide proof from the Veteran’s Administration that you have a total and permanent disability rating that was service connected. You and your spouse will NOT have to report any amount of income to apply as a disabled veteran or the widow/er of a disabled veteran. If the State of Tennessee qualifies you as a disabled veteran or the surviving spouse of a disabled veteran, then you can receive a rebate up to $740.00 for 2024.
Meanwhile, DeKalb County has a “Tax Freeze” program authorized by the state and Trustee Driver explains the qualifications for that.
‘TAX FREEZE’
• Established through voters in the State of Tennessee through a referendum passage in 2007
•The Program is only for ELDERLY – 65 years or older
•Income Limit (2023 Annual Income) is $36,370.00. All owners on the property
•Can only have Tax Freeze on your primary/principal residence
•The TAX AMOUNT is frozen. The property value, assessment, and tax rate are Not Frozen.
•You can apply or have both Tax Relief and Tax Freeze.
•Applications are administered and executed by the Trustee’s office.
•There are acreage limits that can be frozen.
The Trustee’s office is accepting applications for the Tax Relief & Tax Freeze Programs through April 5, 2025. If you would like to inquire more about a possible Tax Relief for property taxes or about the Tax Freeze Program, come by the County Complex in the Trustee’s office @ 732 S. Congress Blvd – Room 103, Smithville, TN 37166 or call @ 615-597-5176.