Fond du Lac County to Explore Options for Aging Jail and Justice Center

A listening session was held at the Campbellsport Public Library on Thursday, January 29, about the possibility of building a new Fond du Lac County Jail and Justice Center. The listening session was not run by the county, so no action could be taken.

The listening session began with a brief explanation of the project and its current status by County Board Supervisor and Village of Campbellsport President Tom Dornbrook.

“I know everyone’s here because they’re concerned about their taxes, but I need to let you know we have no plan yet. We’re in the very early stages,” stated Supervisor Dornbrook. “We do not have a location or design. We have not approved any money as far as building the new jail at this point.”

Supervisor Dornbrook continued to explain that the county is investigating two possible sites for the new jail. One location is by the Fond du Lac County Highway Department garage on Hickory Street in Fond du Lac. Only a new jail would be built at this location. The other option is across the street from the government center where a parking lot is currently located. The government center would be expanded, and a walkway over the road would connect the buildings.

After Supervisor Dornbrook’s introduction, County Executive Sam Kaufman addressed funding and some concerns that have arisen in the community about the project cost.

“There has been a lot of misinformation going on in regards to the jail project,” said Kaufman. “First, I’m going to tell you right now, the $400 million that I keep hearing is not a real number.”

Kaufman further added to Dornbrook’s prior statement that no funds have yet been allocated to the project, and that the total project cost is unknown because a location and design have not yet been determined. He added that in 2021, the garage property was purchased with the intention of building a new jail there; however, that does not mean that the county board must build there.

Though the total cost of the project is yet to be determined, the county board can begin to contemplate funding options. According to Kaufman, the county could use bonding, existing revenue sources, or a combination of bonding and sales tax.

If the county used existing revenue sources, including sales tax, Kaufman reiterated that severe cuts to department and program budgets would occur.

Fond du Lac County Sheriff Ryan Waldschmidt continued the listening session presentations by discussing the history of the jail, its current issues, and increased needs.

“The average jail in the state of Wisconsin has a 30-to-50-year lifespan,” Sheriff Waldschmidt began. “The oldest portion of our jail is 70 years old, so we have done everything we can to put band-aids on top of band-aids over the years.”

The jail was built in 1956 and has been added onto in the 1980s, 1990s, and in 2006. Original 1956 jail cells are still being used today. Sheriff Waldschmidt explained that to add to the building, new cells were built around the existing exterior walls, creating an “onion-like layered” facility.

“We are operating four jails in one facility. We have four separate control stations and four separate jails, and a maze of hallways. It’s a very inefficient use of space,” said Sheriff Waldschmidt.

The layout of the building and the soil beneath are causing increasing issues for the facility. Due to shifting, the cement within the building is cracking near additions and causing doors, including cell doors, to become pinched shut, among other issues. According to Sheriff Waldschmidt, shifting is occurring in three of the four building quadrants.

When the addition was put onto the jail in the 1990s, contamination was discovered in the soil, and was identified again during the 2006 construction.

“When they did their core samples and soil samples, they determined there’s sawdust contamination, oils, and other chemicals in the ground,” said Sheriff Waldschmidt. “A portion of that was removed. Another portion of that was capped and built on top. Those are the things that have been identified as causing the settling and shifting of the building.”

During his presentation, Sheriff Waldschmidt also explained that jail population and meeting state standards are another concern.

The jail cells do not currently meet state standard sizing, and the facility itself does not always have enough beds to accommodate its inmate intake. The jail has a rated maximum capacity of 335 inmates. The jail’s operational capacity is 285 inmates. Sheriff Waldschmidt informed the public that last year, they had a peak of 348 inmates in custody.

“Law enforcement officers across the county know and understand the jail population,” stated Sheriff Waldschmidt. “When they’re encountering people who need to be held accountable for their actions, we have a lot of options and those include warning and releasing, citation and releasing, a criminal referral to the district attorney’s office and releasing–that is a common one that is used . . . The last resort is incarceration.”

Inmates are also required by law to be separated by classification based on a variety of factors, such as gender, health needs, criminal history, and the violence of crimes. The sheriff added that the current dorm-style layout of the jail makes separating classifications difficult, which increases risk.

The county is working with Department of Corrections jail inspector Nancy Thelen to mitigate risk and develop a more efficient pod-style design for the potential new jail.

County Judge Tricia Walker also shared that the courthouse does not meet modern safety requirements and discussed risks related to the jail’s current connection with the courthouse and courthouse infrastructure issues.

The courthouse and jail share a hallway where inmates are transported for their trials. Roughly 4,500 transports occur per year. The hallway is also used by court officials, judicial assistants, court reporters, attorneys, and jurors, creating risk.

“I have to listen at the door of my courtroom to make sure I don’t hear jingling down the hallway,” stated Judge Walker. “That’s just so I don’t open the door into an inmate, so I don’t open the door into a deputy who might be standing there.”

Additionally, the courthouse does not have secure holding cells for inmates awaiting their trial.

“Right now, we might have eight people sitting in a courtroom, all lined up in shackles with two officers watching them,” explained Judge Walker. “That’s a risk to our officers; that’s a risk to the public; that’s a risk to other inmates. Inmates can hear what’s happening in other cases.”

Along with safety concerns, Judge Walker also shared that the courthouse has experienced infrastructure issues, including a sewer pipe bursting, which put files at risk.

After the county officials completed their presentations, the discussion returned to funding options.

Kaufman described how the county has approached the state legislature about temporarily raising the county sales tax or partnering with the state when it completes prison construction. The state denied these options.

County Supervisor Dornbrook informed Kaufman that he plans to invite state legislators to the next county Finance Committee meeting to ask the state to allow the county to hold a referendum about increasing the sales tax.

“I’m asking all of you to get involved in the politics of this. Learn who your representatives are, who your senators are. Don’t be afraid to pick up the phone and say, ‘We want to have the opportunity to vote in Fond du Lac County on a half percent sales tax,’” added County Supervisor Ken Depperman. “It relieves the idea of us as property owners as having to pay for all this . . . Let us decide here locally what we want to do.”