Cuyahoga County Executive Chris Ronayne presented his proposal for purchasing a new jail site before Cuyahoga County Council's Committee of the Whole on Thursday, coupling it with a proposal to extend the countywide sales tax to finance it.
"It's a plan ultimately to be a place where people return healthier, more well than when they got there," Ronayne said of the jail proposal.
In June, Ronayne proposed legislation to spend nearly $39 million to purchase a 72-acre parcel of land located near the intersection of Transportation Boulevard and I-480.
Ronayne also proposed a 40-year extension of a countywide .25% sales tax, set to expire in 2027, as a way to finance the jail's estimated total costs of $750 million.
The proposal is the most recent development in a years-long discussion over what to do about the current county jail, located on West Third Street in Downtown Cleveland. In the last few years, the county has reviewed nearly 50 sites before selecting the Garfield Heights location.
The existing facility is notoriously decrepit. In 2018, the U.S. Marshals Service called conditions inside the jail "inhumane" and said they violated the constitutional rights of people held there and put staff and detainees at risk. The Marshals had been called in to investigate after seven detainees died at the facility over the course of months.
In his remarks before council, Ronayne noted the stark difference between visiting Franklin County's jail near Columbus and Cleveland's, calling it "night and day."
"The differences in a facility built for more modern needs with mental health, with medical needs, with communication opportunities, more of a campus, I saw the future," he said of the Franklin County jail. "I saw an opportunity, and that's why I'm here today proposing this."
The proposed site in Garfield Heights has faced opposition from community activists who said previously that they would rather see a reduction in jail beds and investments in services for residents instead of detainment while awaiting trial.
"I can promise you one thing: there will not be anything done unless there is public engagement on this," said Garfield Heights Mayor Matt Burke Thursday. "My office has not received any negative on this. ... This is the safest place."
Roynane pushed back on criticism from activists about moving the jail ten miles outside of Cleveland, where the courthouse will remain. Ronayne defended the choice, saying it's accessible to most Cuyahoga County communities and close to public transportation.
He also said the Garfield Heights acreage offers potential for more on-campus services, like a behavioral health center, on-site re-entry assistance and job training — all of which "requires more land."
"I believe we work for everybody in that jail, whether they're a member of our team working the floor or whether they're in the jail cell itself," Ronayne said to council on Thursday. "We take it seriously."
Cuyahoga County Council will continue discussions with the administration at its July 18 meeting.
