Mr. Boerner,

Here are the answers to your questions:

1. The total 1993 bond package was $67.7 million.

2. The proposals on the table today are much more substantial than the 1993 plan because the buildings are in worse condition and have to be replaced or renovated rather than expanded, according to the consultant's analysis. The $265 million is for an entirely new jail on the same site.

3. The report looked at the jail population growth over the next 10 years.

4. The figures in the story, the $190 million to $265 million, include the capital costs as well as financing charges.

5. Today it costs between $40 and $45 per day per prisoner to house them out of county. That figure, of course, is likely to change over time. The population is expected to increase 18 percent during that time to 2740 prisoners and the jail's current capacity is 2275 (without the state variance which would likely get pulled if the county does not pursue a long-term fix). The jail can actually only hold 90 percent of its total capacity because of security classification and gender. So they'd be shipping about 700 to 800 prisoners at that rate. The county also states that the transportation costs of moving prisoners from out-of-county facilities to court for hearings makes that option prohibitively expensive as a long-term remedy.

Please let me know if I can be of any further assistance.

Kate Alexander