{"id":8074,"date":"2025-08-29T00:37:32","date_gmt":"2025-08-29T00:37:32","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/princetonillinois.com\/?p=8074"},"modified":"2025-08-29T00:37:32","modified_gmt":"2025-08-29T00:37:32","slug":"princeton-council-weighs-in-unfavorably-to-bureau-county-housing-cook-county-inmates-shawlocal-com","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/princetonillinois.com\/?p=8074","title":{"rendered":"Princeton council weighs in unfavorably to Bureau County housing Cook County inmates – shawlocal.com"},"content":{"rendered":"


The Princeton City Council weighed in Jan. 20 on a Bureau County Board item to house inmates from Cook County, with each council member saying they opposed the idea. <\/span>(Jayce Eustice)
The Princeton City Council<\/a> weighed in Jan. 20 on a Bureau County<\/a> Board item to house inmates from Cook County, with each council member saying they opposed the idea.
Mayor Ray Mabry brought up to the council that the Bureau County Sheriff\u2019s Office is considering housing up to 50 Cook County inmates at the jail in Princeton<\/a> as a way to generate revenue and keep the jail fully functioning.
\u201cI\u2019ve had a number of residents approach me and say it\u2019s not a good idea, and I don\u2019t think it\u2019s a good idea,\u201d Mabry said. \u201cI\u2019ll say that in fairness to the County Board they\u2019ve tabled this to the next meeting and I\u2019ll be attending that meeting listening and learning.\u201d
Council member Hector Gomez said he attended the Jan. 14 County Board meeting<\/a> and he wasn\u2019t concerned about the inmates, which he said would be secure in the jail, but any visitors who would come to Princeton to see the inmates.
Council members Jerry Neumann, Michael McCall and Martin Makransky said they spoke to residents not in favor of it, and added that they also were not in favor of the idea.
The discussions is scheduled to resume at a Bureau County Board committee meeting at 5:30 p.m. Feb. 5. The Bureau County Board sets policy for the jail. The Princeton City Council has no jurisdiction over it.
Sheriff Jim Reed recommended the board postpone final action to study the issue more closely \u2013 and to sift through social media feedback that he said was misguided and inaccurate.
Besides bringing in revenue, Reed said additional inmates would be welcome because the Bureau County Jail needs to be occupied and used lest it fall into disrepair. Similarly, the county has entered into food and service contracts and risks losing money by not keeping the daily census afloat.
Leasing overflow space to overcrowded jails is an arrangement that has worked for La Salle County<\/a>. Jason Edgcomb, superintendent of La Salle County Jail, said intergovernmental agreements with other counties have generated needed revenue. Cook County alone brings in about $15,000 a month and the arrangement has not led to any issues, he said. If it were to enter into an agreement, Bureau County would receive $65 per day for each inmate it accepts.
Derek Barichello is the news editor for The Times in Ottawa and NewsTribune in La Salle, part of Shaw Local News Network, covering La Salle, Bureau and Putnam counties. He covers local and breaking news in the areas of government, education, business and crime and courts, among others.<\/p>\n

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The Princeton City Council weighed in Jan. 20 on a Bureau County Board item to house inmates from Cook County, with each council member saying they opposed the idea. (Jayce Eustice)The Princeton City Council weighed in Jan. 20 on a Bureau County Board item to house inmates from Cook County, with each council member saying they opposed the idea.Mayor Ray<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"nf_dc_page":"","om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-8074","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t