Voters in Fremont County this week overwhelmingly approved a $5.5-million bond issue to pay for the construction of a new law enforcement center/jail. According to the Daily NonPareil, 20-percent of the registered voters turned out for the special election, and more than 72-percent agreed it was time for the county to have a new jail and law enforcement facility.

The current jail is more than 124-years old, and has been cited by State inspectors for not being handicapped accessible, and for its inability to adequately separate sentenced and non-sentenced prisoners. And, since there isn’t enough space to segregate male and female inmates and juveniles, the latter two types of individuals must be sent elsewhere.  Another problem faced by the current Fremont County Jail…which was built in 1889…is the settling of the foundation, which creates more problems with jail cell doors opening and closing properly.

In addition to Fremont County, Adair, Mills and Montgomery counties have all passed bond issues to replace old facilities in recent years.