Low interest USDA loan to help fund Arkansas jail

11/18/2011

A landslide vote from Fulton County, Arkansas, residents allowed construction to move forward for a new jail to replace the current one that's failing to meet minimum building code standards, Area Wide News reports.

Earlier this month, county residents voted to approve or reject a proposed plan to pay for a new jail that would cost more than $2 million to construct. The results were overwhelming - 72 percent of the 1050 voters were in favor of the decision.

The news source notes in a separate article that the state threatened to file suit against the existing jail if it didn't close following an October inspection.

"I think people got the message that the county would be in big financial trouble if the jail was rejected," county sheriff Buck Foley told the media outlet.

Foley is referring to the more than $200,000 in annual payments it would cost the county to house Fulton prisoners in other jails.

To fund the 24-bed jail, the county received a $300,000 stimulus grant to use toward construction, while the remainder will be covered by a low-interest USDA loan.