Decision on city inmates delayed

By BOB GIBBINS

TAHLEQUAH DAILY PRESS May 08, 2008 11:14 am

— Cherokee County's Governmental Building Authority chose Wednesday to wait another six months before deciding whether to allow the city to house prisoners in the county detention center.
Tahlequah Police Chief Steve Farmer appeared before the CCGBA as part of his request to enter a contract with the county. The board agreed it needed to go through another summer to be certain the facility had sufficient space to possibly enter a contract.
The jail opened in January 2007.
Farmer approached the board last year, and was told the authority wanted to wait until the jail had gone through a summer season. The jail population traditionally increases sharply in the spring and summer months due to a large number of visitors to the area.
Farmer has been meeting with the city council and CCGBA to determine whether there is interest in a contract between the two entities for housing prisoners at CCDC.
The board previously told Farmer they would need to set a population cap and turn away city prisoners, if the CCDC population was at that level. Except during the summer, population is generally between 70 and 80, and CCDC is a 150-bed facility.
The board also acknowledged receipt of a financial report and a tort claim on behalf of Andrew Heston Gladd.

What's next
The next regular meeting of the Cherokee County Governmental Building Authority will be Wednesday, May 21 at 9 a.m. in the conference room at the Cherokee County Detention Center.