Why does the new facility have to be built in Virginia City?
Virginia City is the county seat. It has been determined that housing all county services within two buildings is the best and most fiscally responsible choice. As well, state statute requires that certain elected county officials must maintain their offices in the county seat, such as the Sheriff and Justice of the Peace. While it wouldn’t be impossible to build a separate county jail in another location, it has been decided that it would be prohibitive for several reasons. Madison County Commissioners, Staff, Project Architects & Engineers looked at various options for building the county jail by itself somewhere else. It was determined that building the detention center in a different location did not resolve the issue of transporting inmates to and from court appearances. Using officer resources to transport people by vehicle from a separate jail facility to court is expensive and presents a safety risk. In a facility designed to house both services, detainees can be escorted a sho
