With the approval of the general obligation bonds, the jail and justice center will be complete absent any costly overruns.

I commend the county commissioners for their resolve in this matter even though they had little choice but to go forward after painting themselves in a corner. However, my greatest concerns about this project have always been the following:

The lack of transparency in local

government

The conscientious decision to enter into

bonds that deny the general public

opportunity to vote

The refusal and rebuttal to follow Minnesota

Statute Section 641.23

The unknown or unspeakable issue of what

is to become of the third floor of the court

house

The approximately $5 million spent on the

third floor just more than 10 years ago, now to

no longer be used for that purpose

The unknown or unspeakable issue of long-

term house for Health and Human Services

The unknown or unspeakable issue of the

cost of operations and maintenance of the

new facility

While I realize that elected officials have very difficult decisions to make, nevertheless, those decisions should and need to be made in total and complete transparency. After all, we are a government “Of the people, by the people and for the people.”

Dan Vermilyea

Austin