New Cole County Jail at one-year mark

Officials: Projections for new jail fairly accurate

In this July 22, 2012 photo, jailer Gary Allen addresses inmates in their pods over a speaker system at the Cole County Jail.
In this July 22, 2012 photo, jailer Gary Allen addresses inmates in their pods over a speaker system at the Cole County Jail.

The Cole County Law Enforcement Center has been in operation for a year, and county officials say they have kept the promises they made to voters when the sales tax was approved to make the building a reality.

"We used local contractors to build it, placed it where we promised and made it match the downtown area," said Cole County Presiding Commissioner Marc Ellinger. "The funding streams appears to be sufficient currently and long term, and the construction cost was under budget."

The ultimate cost for work at the new county jail, paid for by bonds, ended up being $3 million less than what had been taken out.