With the election hurdle cleared, Saline County is on its way to building a new jail facility.
Citizens voted to enact a one-half percent sales tax to pay for the new building in a county-wide vote on Tuesday. The tax is set to be in effect by April 1, 2021 and a timeline is being developed for bond issuance for this project. The sales tax will end when the bonds have been paid off.
Saline County Sheriff Roger Soldan says that the new jail facility will be much more efficient.
“I truly appreciate the support shown to my office by passing the sales tax to fund the new facility,” Soldan says. “This facility will be more than a jail, it will include space for much needed programs and services that we simply can’t provide. Moving into a modern facility will be safer for staff, inmates and the public. Thank you Saline County Citizens for showing your support on Election Day.”
Saline County Commission Chairman Robert Vidricksen agreed, by saying that the project will help usher the county further in to the 21st Century.
“Approving the one-half percent sales tax for the purpose of building a new jail is a huge step forward for Saline County and the City of Salina,” says Vidricksen. “This will help bring the community further into the 21st century. A huge thank you to everyone who worked on this project over the past several years. The biggest thank you goes to the voters who recognized the importance of this project. Now we need to roll up our sleeves and go to work and see the project completed.”
The first steps in the project will include site acquisition and building design. An estimated timeline for the project includes groundbreaking in the fall of 2021 and project completion in the fall of 2023.
Citizens who are interested in learning more about the project can see preliminary design information at www.saline.org/Jail-Project-
