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Council refuses to vote on prison issue

By KERRY CRAIG, Graphic Managing Editor

Dec. 13, 2007 - Leonard City Council members took no action on four agenda items concerning a faith-based prison that could be located in the community. A motion to withdraw from contract negotiations with Corrections Concepts Inc. by Steven Bolin died for lack of a second and two other items, one calling for a referendum in the May municipal election and one for calling for a public hearing died for lack of a motion

More than 70 people packed the Leonard City Council chambers Tuesday evening as the council took up discussion on the items relating to an agreement with Corrections Concepts Inc. and the construction of a faith-based prison in Leonard.

Along with the standing-room-only crowd, council members were presented with petitions bearing more than 400 signatures of Leonard residents and people living just outside the city’s limits opposing the prison concept.

In the public forum, one person representing those in favor of the prison and one from the opposition group were allowed to speak.

Those in favor of the proposal cited Leonard’s need for industry of some kind to bolster the community’s sagging tax base as well as a the potential for a reduction in the numbers of prisoners who return to prison after committing another crime after being released from jail.

Questions about the impact on Leonard were also voiced by those opposing the concept addressed the inability of Corrections Concepts Inc. to convince any other community in the state to enter into an agreement on a faith-based prison, the potential of financial liability for the community and what might happen to the city’s financial rating if the prison were started and defaulted. Others voiced concerns about security in the community.

Council members cited the city’s need for tax revenue as the driving force behind the prison concept as well as the need for new industry in the community.

At the end of the regular meeting, those attending voiced their displeasure with the council’s lack of action on the prison-related agenda items.