Post by Logan on Jun 28, 2016 4:31:49 GMT -6
CHESTER -- The Illinois Department of Corrections owes the city of Chester about $1.2 million for water, sewer and gas services.
The Belleville News-Democrat reports that the department, which has nearly 1,000 state jobs at the Menard Correctional Center, has not paid the city for the services since last fall.
Chester Mayor Tom Page said there was concern that if the utilities were shut off and the prison's more than 3,500 inmates were moved somewhere else, the inmates and jobs would not return.
"There's a scare that, if they would have to evacuate the facility and move those people somewhere else, that they'd have to bring Menard back up to code before they put people back in," said Page, who happens to be a former warden at the prison. "I don't want the scare of losing close to a thousand jobs. I wouldn't want that to be my legacy."
Read more: www.sj-r.com/news/20160627/state-owes-city-of-chester-12-million-for-prison-utilities
The Belleville News-Democrat reports that the department, which has nearly 1,000 state jobs at the Menard Correctional Center, has not paid the city for the services since last fall.
Chester Mayor Tom Page said there was concern that if the utilities were shut off and the prison's more than 3,500 inmates were moved somewhere else, the inmates and jobs would not return.
"There's a scare that, if they would have to evacuate the facility and move those people somewhere else, that they'd have to bring Menard back up to code before they put people back in," said Page, who happens to be a former warden at the prison. "I don't want the scare of losing close to a thousand jobs. I wouldn't want that to be my legacy."
Read more: www.sj-r.com/news/20160627/state-owes-city-of-chester-12-million-for-prison-utilities