Johnson Co. Commissioners Approve $23M Jail Project
Johnson County Jail in Franklin in Dec 2019. (photo courtesy: Scott Roberson/Daily Journal)
Subscriber Benefit
As a subscriber you can listen to articles at work, in the car, or while you work out. Subscribe Now
Construction on a $23 million expansion of the overcrowded Johnson County Jail in Franklin could get underway next spring. Our partners at the Daily Journal report the Johnson County Board of Commissioners has accepted a contract bid from C.H. Garmong and Son Inc..
The publication reports overcrowding has been a reoccurring problem for the county for several years. The state ordered Johnson County to fix the issue.
The jail has 322 beds, but according to the newspaper, the jail held 369 people as of last week.
The Daily Journal reports the expansion includes adding 264 beds in a new wing of the jail, pull-in bays for arresting officers and revamping its intake and medical areas.
Construction is slated to start in the spring and the work is expected to take about 18-to-24 months to complete.
The jail project is being paid for, in part, by revenue from an income tax increase which voters approved in June. Collections on the tax begin in October.
Click here to read the Daily Journal’s coverage.