The Winona County Board on Tuesday approved a plan to build an 80-bed jail at an estimated cost of $19 million.
In 2018, the Department of Corrections said it must close the county's existing jail by Sept. 30, 2021, "due to structural and operating deficiencies in the over 40-year-old facility that could not be corrected."
Commissioners voted 3-2 to approve a general scheme for the project but will face more decisions about its details later on.
Winona County will also explore the possibility of adding a juvenile detention center and renovating its law enforcement facility, which houses the current jail, the county Sheriff's Office and the Winona Police Department.
The county's 2021 budget included $10 million in bonds for the new jail, and documents say "subsequent borrowing" will fund the rest of the project.
During Tuesday's meeting, some members of the public objected to the cost of the project, and others said they would like to see the county increase programming to keep people out of the criminal justice system before building the new jail.
In an interview Wednesday, Winona County Sheriff Ron Ganrude said he doesn't think those actions are mutually exclusive.
"We need to do both," he said. "We need to have a place to put people in custody, and we need to offer services in jail. But the county also needs to offer more services than we currently do targeting people before they get in trouble."
