MONROE COUNTY, Ind. — The Monroe County Council voted against funding for a new jail and justice center.

On Wednesday, all seven county councilors voted down a proposal that would’ve added a $3 million appropriation to buy the land where the complex would sit. That would have brought the total land cost to $11 million.

The entire bill for the complex is around $225 million and council members said they just can’t put that kind of money up at the moment.

“There’s no way around it, we cannot afford a quarter of a billion dollars right now,” said Peter Iversen, Monroe County Council member and president pro tempore.

At Wednesday’s meeting, councilors also agreed to stop paying the architectural firm and for their services related to the project. Some councilors are placing blame on a prop

See Full Page