Midland County Approves Site For Huge New Jail Complex

With the inmate population on the rise in Midland County Commissioners have picked a new location for the new jail complex.

According to the Midland Reporter-Telegram, The location of the new jail complex will be east of town near County Road 1140 and County Road 110.

That location is east of Midland and west of Greenwood, out in the middle of nowhere, far away from main roads like the interstate and Hwy 158. It will be close to Hwy 158 but still over a mile and a half away.

The area is 234 acres, and the construction funds would come from the county's General Fund.

$127 million will be needed for the new jail, officials have discussed a law enforcement complex with a cost of $40 million for a new justice of the peace/constable building featuring offices and courtrooms and a remodel of the sheriff's office.

The county has been toying with ways to pay for the entire project, beyond the land purchase, including a possible bond election, certificates of obligation (which do not require approval from county voters), or approval of a county assistance district which would increase the county sales tax to be closer to the sales tax rate inside city limits.

County Judge Terry Johnson had mentioned before that the county sales tax increase would bring in as much as $80 million annually.

There have been no reports of how people that live in that part of the county are reacting to the possibility of getting the new jail complex in their area, but the proposed area is remote and not really close to anyone that lives in that part of the county.