The 2015 Cortland Jail Expansion Report references an earlier jail study which noted that the citizens of Cortland county were ultimately responsible for the type of punishment they wished to see in their community. That being the case we, the undersigned, ask the legislative body of Cortland County, respectfully, to put the vote on the new jail/correctional facility to a referendum by the citizens of Cortland County.

The reasons for proposing such a referendum are many:

1) The proposed jail/correctional facility complex was stated by the county budget director to cost 2.7 million dollars over a 30 year bond period - ie., an estimated 83 million dollars. For a county with a population of only 50,000, this is a terrifically priced proposal.

2) The Cortland County Legislature has never taken a “hard look" at any of the many alternatives to incarceration. While the building of new jails is fading in popularity across the country, Cortland county appears to be out of step with national trends.

3) The Cortland County Legislature has not taken a fiscally responsible look at less costly alternatives to building such a large facility.

4) The Cortland County legislature decided, wrongly, that it did not need to engage in an environment impact study, even though the SEQR process was designed to make local government look at long term and unintended consequences of proposed projects, including taking a “hard look” at alternatives and mitigating measures.

5) A disproportionate number of people in Cortland County carry the financial burden for a large unemployed population. An increase in taxes cannot be borne by a citizenry already overtaxed. Cortland County taxes are among the highest in the United States, while county incomes are among the poorest.

For all these issues it is important for the people to have a voice.