PARIS, Ill. (WTWO/WAWV) — The Edgar County will no longer house inmates as of 11:59 p.m. Nov. 30.
While county officials had been facing this possibility for awhile, they were hoping to keep at least a portion of the jail operational. In the end, the decision was made for them.
The jail will lose it’s insurance coverage at the end of the month due to the conditions of the building and the operations of the jail, according to county board chairman Jeff Voigt.
The building will still be able to be used as an administrative center for the sheriff’s department as well as a 911 call center. Insurance will cover temporary housing prisoners on court days.
Booking and housing of inmates will have to be done at other facilities.
Final plans have not been made for where the prisoners will be housed; however, Voigt said officials are working with four or five other facilities.
Closing the jail will not save the county money. In fact, Voigt said the board has budgeted $383,000 for transportation and housing costs. But, it will buy the county time to fix the issues that have long-plagued the jail.
The first fix will come by the first of next week when a new chief deputy/jail administrator is hired. From there, officials will begin looking into fixing the building issues.
Voigt said they hope to have the jail operational again within a year.
