(The Center Square) — The state Bond Commission discussed and approved a $15 million limited tax bonds request from the Orleans Parish Law Enforcement District this week.
Orleans Parish is set to receive limited tax bonds not to exceed $15 million, 6% or 10 years after the State Bond Commission approved the financial request.
There was no one present to speak for or against the agenda item on Thursday and the staff recommended approval during the reading.
According to Orleans Parish, the funds are for the repairs of the Orleans Parish jail. Upgrades listed included new fencing, backup generators, plumbing, chiller and heater repairs, security upgrades and surveillance repairs.
The agenda item came just a few months after 10 inmates escaped from the Orleans Parish Justice Center on May 16 The inmates forced open a door to a cell where they cut a hole behind the toilet. Water had been cut off to the cell, and no officers were patrolling that area at the time.
The inmates were not accounted for until the next morning during head count. Nine of the 10 inmates have been captured by law enforcement and returned to custody.
During a recent news conference, Orleans Parish Sheriff Susan Hutson detailed other upgrades the jail is making.
“I want our community to know that OPSO continues to harden and modernize the facility,” said Hutson. “We are installing new razor wire, tightening physical barriers and upgrading locking mechanisms.”
Back in early June, after the jail break, the Orleans Parish Sheriff’s Office and the New Orleans City Council held a meeting to discuss other issues in need of funding, including water and infrastructure problems.
At the time, the cost for these specific repairs was around $900,000.
Gov. Jeff Landry signed an executive order on May 21 for an investigation to determine how the escape happened.
The order requires the state inspector general to oversee audits of case files. The state Department of Corrections will review jail operations for compliance with jail standards and relocate any state inmates, for which the parish is paid by the DOC, to state facilities.
