Watertown (Nathan Lehman WTNY) -- The ongoing issue of expanding the Jefferson County Jail was raised yet again Tuesday night before members of the Jefferson County Legislature.
Sheriff John Burns has long been a proponent of a plan to expand the jail, citing overcrowding. Last night, Burns presented a proposal that would see the construction of a temporary expansion to the existing jail. The proposed addition would have a shelf life of about 15 years and could be built quickly, but would come with a cost of $7.7 million. The county currently spends about $1 million annually to ship inmates to jails in other counties because there is no room for them locally.
The members of the Legislative General Services Committee were non committal on the proposal. County officials are still hoping to get some form of support from the the state, allowing inmates to be held at empty beds at the nearby Watertown Correctional Facility.
