Cuyahoga County Jail saga continues with vote to secure funding
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Panoramic view of the Cuyahoga County Jail site in Garfield Heights. Photo: Courtesy of Cuyahoga County
Cuyahoga County finally took action Tuesday to secure funding for the controversial new jail in Garfield Heights.
Why it matters: The nearly $1 billion public project is the most expensive in county history and has been a fiasco since its inception.
- Officials have scrambled to greenlight financing, lest the costs continue to rise, all while being warned they may have already broken the law.
🛑 Catch up quick: Last month, Prosecutor Michael O'Malley ordered the county to halt all work on the jail, saying required approvals were skipped.
- State Auditor Keith Faber launched an investigation last week, raising the possibility of personal liability for Cuyahoga County Executive Chris Ronayne and county council members.
The intrigue: O'Malley's cease-and-desist prompted a key oversight meeting to obtain a vote on the project. But the meeting was scheduled last week, canceled, then rescheduled for Monday.
- In the interim, judges backed out of a $150 million side deal to renovate the downtown justice center after concerns that it looked like a quid pro quo.
The latest: The four-member oversight panel voted 3-0 on Monday to keep the project alive, with Sheriff Harold Pretel abstaining.
- County Council then voted Tuesday to borrow nearly $1 billion, locking in the project despite the ongoing investigation.
Friction point: County officials have argued, and the oversight panel agreed, that additional delays could push project costs well past $1 billion.
What they're saying: "This is not McDonald's hamburgers we're talking about," former deputy court administrator Christopher Russ, one of the voting panelists, said Monday, per NEOtrans.
- "We're talking taxpayer dollars. It could be $1 billion. If we wait any longer, it could be $1.2 billion. It could be $1.5 billion. I mean, those are staggering numbers."
Yes, but: The vote doesn't resolve the issue Faber is reviewing: whether earlier spending was illegal.
- If Faber determines the panel's Monday vote cannot legally be applied retroactively, county officials could be forced to repay funds personally.
The other side: The county was given 45 days to provide Faber with its perspective on compliance. County spokeswoman Kelly Woodard tells Axios the county has not yet submitted its response.
What's next: If all goes according to plan, the 900,000 square foot, 1,886-bed campus in Garfield Heights would open in the fall of 2029.