By Jutta Rubright, Solon
County Supervisor Jon Green has been quietly leading the Board of Supervisors and other officials for the past two years toward a plan for a new jail and bond proposal. In fact, the other Supervisors trust Green as they elected Jon to be Chair of the Board for a second consecutive year, expressly for the purpose of best shepherding the jail project to an end that 60 percent of voters can support. Three previous proposals have failed in the last 25 years.
The existing jail is beyond repair of its basic services, and needs replacement of its out-of-date unsafe design. Johnson County sends people to neighboring jails because of the inadequate present jail.
The new proposal has beds for 120 people with potential expansion many years down the road that would require a second vote. Jon has brought some people down from a bigger size, and other up from a smaller size. It has room for more diversion programs and courtrooms to continue to help lower the population. It would be around 100,000 square feet with a $90 million+ bond at a site soon to be disclosed.
Jon Green has been performing low profile grunt work to shape a compromise proposal that addresses our needs but not all of our wants. Green has brought divergent perspectives together to agree on it. The County needs Jon’s leadership to see this project through to completion.
Vote June 2 to re-elect Supervisor Jon Green in District 2.
