MT. CLEMENS, Mich. (WWJ) -- With a possible millage request coming before voters -- potentially as early as this November -- Macomb County Sheriff Anthony Wickersham opened up his jail for the media on Monday, to better show the need for a new facility.
WWJ's Jon Hewett and others were shown the D Block cell -- in a part of the jail that dates back to 1954, has no air conditioning and poor ventilation. There are other cells like it in the deteriorating jail, now 65 years old.
Wickersham and Macomb County Executive Mark Hackel were showing the conditions of the aging lockup, in hopes of opening eyes to the conditions and showing that an entirely new jail is needed -- and soon.
"We have that solution. Let's give it a shot, let people decide whether this is something that they're willing to fund for the next 20 years," Wickersham said.
The county is proposing a .98 mil tax increase that would need voter approval to raise $371 for a new jail. The projected cost to the average Macomb County homeowner, if passed, would be about $100 per year.
County commissioners have until Aug. 12 to approve the proposal to get it before voters in November. They are set to meet later this month to discuss the proposal.
Macomb County Executive Mark Hackel says the time to act is now.
"We have to put it out there, we have to provide the information because there's no other alternative," he said.
"There are safety concerns, not only for the inmates, but for the staff here. We have to make some changes," Wickersham said.
He and Hackel both feel they will get the approval of the county's board of commissioners to put the 20-year millage proposal before voters.
Wickersham says the jail has encountered all sorts of trouble over the years, including overcrowding and high rates of suicide among inmates in the early 2000s.
"We've done everything. We educate our people, we're giving them training, putting people where we can supervise them, starting to put cameras in cells. That's helping, but it's still not eliminating the threat, it's not eliminating the issues inside the facility," he said. "There's a better way of doing it, and we would like to get there."
The proposed project would feature a 1,518-bed jail and sheriff's office located on the property of the existing jail in Mt. Clemens. There would be 166 beds available for mental health and 84 beds for medical needs -- both higher than the current facility, which has only 24 beds for mental health and just seven beds for medical needs.
The project would also create nearly 90 new jobs, mostly correctional staff.
"All I'm asking is to let the people have a say; give them that opportunity," Wickersham said. "Is this something that they are willing to help fund? If not, the county exec and the county board of commissioners are going to have to look at a 'plan B,' because as we're standing here today, the problem's not going to go away."
