Assessing Needs of Chickasaw County Jail Gets Closer Look Next Week

Local and state officials will take a closer look at the current shape of the Chickasaw County Jail next week.

During Monday’s regular meeting of County Supervisors, Sheriff Marty Hemann told the Board that a state jail inspector is scheduled to be in New Hampton next Monday for an onsite review of the jail along with The Samuels Group, which is conducting a feasible study of the 65-year-old facility.

Hemann says a jail committee has also been meeting regularly to weigh upgrading the current jail versus building new.

Hemann says the current jail is limited in who they can house based on the classification of inmates, which can also be impacted by simple economics.

The feasibility study is also exploring a joint law enforcement center (LEC) with the New Hampton Police Department, with the City kicking in $5,000 of the study’s $20,000 price tag.

The Samuels Group, the same firm overseeing the Floyd County Courthouse and LEC, began the feasibility study in June and was expected to take about four months to complete.