By Traci Chapman
Published on May 29, 2008

Officials have their “feet to the fire,” after state inspectors found health and safety violations May 7 at the Canadian County jail that could potentially cost county taxpayers thousands of dollars.

“Unfortunately, I knew this was coming — I said all along that if the new jail was rejected, the jail inspectors would bring on the heat — and here it is,” Sheriff Lewis Hawkins said Tuesday.

Voters rejected a sales tax increase May 13 that would have funded a proposed $24.8 million facility. If the measure had passed, it would have meant a sales tax increase of .35 of a cent for 15 years — the life of the loan on the proposed complex — then scale down to a .25 of a cent permanent increase.

Oklahoma Department of Health inspectors sent a notice of five violations to County Commissioners May 14, the day after the failed election. Commissioners reviewed the report at their weekly meeting Tuesday.

The jail was cited for the following deficiencies:

-The booking area, jail administration office and pod 137 — one of the inmate holding areas — had water on the floor from rain.
-The jail was over its legal capacity of 72 inmates on May 14, with 86 people being held at that time.
-The floors had standing water because of the leaking roof.
-Lighting in Pod 137 was “not sufficient.”
-The shower in Pod 137 was not working.

Don Garrison, director of the Jail Inspection Division of the Department of Health, said county officials have 10 days to respond to the violation notices and 60 days to correct the deficiencies.