[{"_1":2,"_87":-5,"_88":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,75],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},"mediaId",6523348,"mediaKeyId","5033619-2ac0b24de979202e57c417190d228478","parentId",5033619,"title","Legislators debate alternatives after $120 million jail needs assessment; planning staff may assist next steps","audioSeconds",1460,"startMs",3069000,"endMs",4529000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=5033619-2ac0b24de979202e57c417190d228478&start=3069&end=4529","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5033619-2ac0b24de979202e57c417190d228478/thumbnail_3069000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6523348/Chautauqua-County/New-York/Legislators-debate-alternatives-after-120-million-jail-needs-assessment-planning-staff-may-assist-next-steps","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6523348-e456617164eeffe35c878d015930828b/orig.mp4?Expires=1771135747&Signature=KCEfxoNSp7qicB7BioAM1rNEGIZFGzD9VjjAy0zRZsSFikOGgBT6wEW5bWZ7WpiSh6KQnER~m4qssgQXsBzxsbxfCDZA2uBja-1aez2VOXCr6R8ntJWOhvE-sEezDRaoXJEhqB5aCaho7QJSZUm09JUlLoIudpaQ3cgC9Jly54fcBbH8PiOJP~NdfS8IW~d-RRDSDHG31ZECpDcUfV~HsUe02vBQFZIUmK8KllTQArZ~UB1uTEbi3-4aWLgZuhm7fw7Wl0crTJCKZwEKAXHKsl9UPfnRfiWZtHUI5Rn-ADQvkGNgVdkR~6XL3p~VShYNC0kVNJQUIbsrE5TFLA2BYQ__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","Chautauqua County, NY","date","2025-06-21T02:21:04Z","article","Chairman Shagnon, chair of the Chautauqua County Legislature’s Audit and Control Committee, opened a broad discussion on June 20, 2025 about next steps after a draft jail needs assessment presentation that produced a large cost estimate for replacement or major reconstruction.

\"Where do we go from here? Wherever we go from here is gonna cost money,\" Chairman Shagnon told the committee, summarizing the problem and asking legislators whether to proceed to detailed design or to gather more analysis on alternatives and costs.

The committee has met repeatedly with consultants LaBella Associates and Justice Planners to develop an assessment of bed needs and facility conditions. The assessment presented options — including a full replacement that committee members said produced a headline figure in the range of roughly $120 million — and also considered operating needs, staffing and inmate flow. Committee members said the consultants produced bed projections from county-supplied data and that the committee adjusted counts during review.

Legislator Dan Pavlok, a member of the Audit and Control Committee, said the committee repeatedly challenged and updated the bed estimates during its meetings and that the numbers reflected committee input. The committee also discussed whether to continue housing federal inmates and how that decision affects long-term capacity planning.

Given the size of the cost estimate, several legislators asked whether county planning staff could help develop alternatives and provide a county-driven perspective before the legislature commits to formal design or construction. Mark Geiss, director of planning and economic development, told the committee he is willing to participate to help frame alternatives from a planning standpoint.

Committee members discussed a potential next-phase study or facilitated analysis that would examine alternatives (renovation, additions, phased construction or relocating capacity) and the financial and operational tradeoffs of each option. One committee member reported a ballpark estimate of about $100,000 for a study to define alternatives and recommend a preferred path. Members said that outsourcing more work to the county’s planning staff could reduce consultant costs but that some consultant participation would remain necessary to provide technical detail.

Legislators also cited building-condition concerns: the committee heard accounts of structural settling and dated infrastructure in the county’s older jail section and acknowledged that delaying action could raise long-term costs. The sheriff’s office and other committee members emphasized that any construction plan must consider how to house inmates and operate during construction — for example, whether inmates can be relocated within county facilities or transferred externally during work.

No formal decision to proceed to design or construction was made at the meeting. Chairman Shagnon said he would coordinate with the sheriff and the planning director to scope a recommended next step and that the committee could bring a resolution to the full legislature in the coming months to fund further analysis if necessary.

Committee members urged keeping the review moving so that the county does not lose momentum while also ensuring that the county \"steers\" the process and does not rely solely on outside consultants to define options.

Next steps identified at the meeting include a reconvened committee session with planning staff and limited consultant involvement to scope alternatives and a likely future resolution seeking county funds to pay for the defined next-phase work if the committee determines external contract support is necessary.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","Audit & Control Committee Meeting 06/20/25","oneSentenceSummary","Following a presentation of a draft jail needs assessment, Chautauqua County legislators discussed options — including full replacement, renovation, and alternative site or programmatic approaches — and asked staff to explore next-step costs and planning support before committing to a design path.","taxTitle","Chautauqua County, New York","taxId",14530,"location","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":76,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":77,"_41":78,"_43":79,"_45":80,"_47":81,"_49":82,"_51":83,"_53":84,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":85,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":86,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6523353,"Audit and Control Committee approves leases, grants and budget adjustments; several program funds accepted",318,2738000,3056000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=5033619-2ac0b24de979202e57c417190d228478&start=2738&end=3056","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5033619-2ac0b24de979202e57c417190d228478/thumbnail_2738000.jpg","/articles/6523353/Chautauqua-County/New-York/Audit-and-Control-Committee-approves-leases-grants-and-budget-adjustments-several-program-funds-accepted","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6523353-72e6f027cf07a0babb24611fe774f972/orig.mp4?Expires=1771135747&Signature=PkRZX1NUcuG2KclD2Q66vuvXLfO0JrbTr7~nGbl3hRKcjJH5rZxtIeIX2f4JbGA2QJ4k~z14g1DD~at7p3aBvHha7196386wKe0Ttg-i~L8YS~2Bv2THILefbk-mEzdN3HbT-l-H4TwQbw4rzRXpf6HuCmuKyXRvLuPJ2xEzNoy88iuWZHi~lr5bXceClzqV1Xr-NvMEg0Dz4a6oJEMVZfCV1mkqFfvFAn7TsKbFp09DSlBDHvsLX-c~JZOUiaUAB8spKV4~fbyKMPLNzkXgdW2rxk3ujGGRoNVueqJ43U6Rrf0Dc9qsczF0jIGq915ViFSAc4ST6ho4wkmjmOoIJg__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","The Chautauqua County Legislature’s Audit and Control Committee on June 20, 2025 approved a series of resolutions covering airport leases, a municipal lease renewal, multiple grants, modest budget transfers and departmental accounting changes.

The committee, meeting in Jamestown, approved each resolution by voice vote. Items approved included authorization to lease parking spaces to Federal Express Corporation at the Jamestown Airport; a ground lease for one bay of the Blackstone Hangar to Erie JHW LLC; renewal of the county’s EMS lease with the town of Chautauqua; acceptance of criminal-fraud investigation funds for the district attorney’s office; acceptance and distribution of a statewide intimate partner violence grant; a new transportation stipend for county coroners; continued funding and a one-time accessibility grant for the Children and Youth with Special Health Care Needs program; interfund ARPA transfers and routine finance adjustments; and reaffirmation of county investment and financial management policies.

Several department directors and program leads summarized the items before the committee. Assistant District Attorney Emily Woodard told the committee, “Our office received $65,000 again, which we anticipated,” describing the Crimes Against Revenue Program funds that will cover a part-time senior investigator and a portion of an assistant DA’s salary. Public health director Lacey Wilson described a new statewide intimate-partner-violence grant and said, “The county received $847,225 total,” outlining planned distributions to the district attorney, sheriff’s office, probation and other partners. Coroner supervisor Tony Shekels said his office expects modest transport savings if coroners perform some transports, calling it “not a huge savings, but it is a savings.”

Most items were brief and procedural; several required follow-up budget amendments. For example, the county approved a short-term parking lease to FedEx for roughly 44 spaces at $500 per month (the resolution covers an initial six-month period), which county staff said will generate about $3,000 of revenue in the current budget period. The committee also approved a ground lease for the eastern bay of the Blackstone Hangar at $2,000 in the first year with an annual 2% increase.

The committee approved a renewal lease with the town of Chautauqua providing expanded space for EMS. County staff said the renewal increases occupied space from roughly 5,900 square feet to about 6,978 square feet and raises the annual county payment from about $15,600 to about $20,000; staff explained the renewal spreads the cost of two recently replaced HVAC units across the lease term, which accounts for much of the year-over-year jump.

The committee accepted $65,000 in CARP funds for the district attorney’s office to support investigations into fraud involving public benefits and taxes; the DA’s office said the award was included in the 2025 budget. The committee also accepted an $847,225 statewide intimate-partner-violence grant from the state Division of Criminal Justice Services; the DA’s office will receive $272,400, the sheriff’s office $27,500, and probation $148,886, with other partners (Jamestown Police Department, Salvation Army) executing separate contracts. Staff said most positions funded by these grants are contingent on grant funding and would be limited-term positions tied to the awards.

Other routine approvals included interfund transfers for American Rescue Plan Act projects, a Department of Finance equipment-purchase reclassification to buy replacement desks and chairs, and annual reaffirmations of the county’s investment and financial-management policies.

All resolutions and motions that appeared on the committee agenda were carried by voice vote during the meeting.","At its June 20, 2025 meeting the Chautauqua County Audit and Control Committee approved a slate of routine resolutions including airport leases, county lease renewals, several grant acceptances and accounting transfers; all were approved by voice vote.","actionData","errors"]

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Legislators debate alternatives after $120 million jail needs assessment; planning staff may assist next steps

Audit and Control Committee approves leases, grants and budget adjustments; several program funds accepted