New Dallas County Jail will cost $10 million and take up to two years to build, Nunn says

The new Dallas County jail will cost about $10 million, Dallas County Commission Chairman Jimmy Nunn told the Selma Rotary Club Monday.

At his “state of the county” address to the Rotary Club, Nunn said it will take a year and a half to two years to rebuild the jail, which was destroyed in the Jan. 12 tornado. Dallas County inmates are being housed in jails in other counties, including Montgomery. He said 50 Dallas County inmates are being held in the former state prison in Perry County.

“It’s costing us labor, time and money,” Nunn said. “We’re having to travel every day.” Keeping the county’s prisoners in the county will save money for the county and “will make a difference for the people visiting” the jail, he said.

Nunn said the repairs will be covered by insurance.

The loss of the county jail is also affecting the city of Selma. The city paid the county to provide up to eight cells at the county jail for city prisoners. Those prisoners are now being housed at the Lowndes County Jail, Selma City Attorney Major Madison Jr. told the city council last week.

Madison said he and the Lowndes County attorney are working out details of an agreement for that jail to house the city prisoners until the new Dallas County jail can be built. Madison said Dallas County refunded the $84,000 the city paid the county to house their inmates, so the city has that money available to make other arrangements.

Madison said the city seldom had more than eight prisoners in the Dallas County jail.