South Dakota lawmakers will gather in September to decide whether to replace the state penitentiary.
On Friday, Gov. Larry Rhoden issuedan executive proclamationcalling a special session of the Legislature for Sept. 23.
The news comes a little over a week after the governors Project Prison Reset task forcevotedto endorse a 1,500-bed complex on undeveloped land in northeastern Sioux Falls.
The group recommended a price cap of $650 million, which is roughly the amount that has been set aside for prison construction over the past three years, potentially allowing the state to pay cash for the project rather than taking on debt.
The cap is around $75 million less than consultants and work managers said would be necessary for a project of that size during the task forces final meeting on July 8, but the group decided that a higher price wouldnt earn legislative support.
Spending bills require the support of two-thirds of lawmakers. The final spending push for an $825 million prison on a controversial Lincoln County sitefailedto clear that hurdle in February.
In aletterto Rhoden requesting the special session, Lt. Gov. Tony Venhuizen, who leads the prison task force, said compromises were necessary to find an answer that would appeal to the Legislature and ease overcrowding in the states Department of Corrections facilities.
The task forces unanimous vote for its recommendation demonstrates that we have found a good site for a new penitentiary and a strong path forward, Venhuizen wrote.
The new prison, if approved by lawmakers, would replace the oldest parts of the state penitentiary in Sioux Falls. That building was initially constructed in 1881, prior to statehood.
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