Funding for new Cuyahoga County jail draws another criticism

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County executive candidate Lee Weingart echoes Attorney Michael OMalleys’ call for debt review; County manager Armond Budish says bond financing is doable.

CLEVELAND For more than two years, leaders in the region have been studying how to replace the Cuyahoga County Jail, which they all agree is poorly designed, overcrowded and the source of ongoing design problems.

But now, as Cuyahoga County officials move closer to building a new jail, some are wondering if county taxpayers can afford the price, which is expected to hover around $ 500 million.

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Cuyahoga County District Attorney Michael OMalley, a member of the new jail steering committee, recently asked if the county can afford to take on new debt to fund the project. O’Malley declined to speak on camera about the issue with 3News’ Mark Naymik, but first told The Plain Dealer / Cleveland.com that he wanted an independent financial review of the county’s borrowing power before proceeding. commit to a timeline.

Former Cuyahoga County Commissioner Lee Weingart, who is already campaigning for next year’s county executive election, said in a statement today that he echoed the call for OMalleys to a review of the county’s ability to fund the project.

RELATED: Former Cuyahoga County Commissioner Lee Weingart, 2022 County Executive Candidate

Weingart, a Republican, has been commenting for months on county executive Armond Budish, a Democrat, who has not announced his political plans.

Budish declined an on-camera interview today, but a spokeswoman told 3News the county has the ability to borrow money for the project without raising taxes.

County officials are also planning to build a new courthouse in the near future. The current one adjoins the prison and is considered ineffective by many.

The steering committee working on the prison and courthouse project discussed building a campus-like setting for the two facilities.

Final plans and costs have not been settled.

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