The Nome Nugget

City Takes Over
Management of
Fed. Jail Facility

A discussion of the agreement of the City of Nome with the State of Alaska, concerning the use permit on the Federal Jail, for which the City has already signed a contract with the Federal Jail System, was the important issue of the Council meeting on Monday night.

There was considerable dissatisfaction voiced, partly due to lack of information on why the City was taking over the jail system.

There was also a lack of information on how many additional city employees were to be hired for these jobs: what their wages would be, and how the City planned to finance the project.

By motion, the matter was tabled, and the City Clerk instructed to wire the head of the State Health and Welfare Department, as well as the Federal Jail System authorities, asking for more time to consider, as the change-over was to have taken place yesterday.

Also tabled, was the agreement by the City with the State Court System to provide a City Magistrate.

Paul Mandeville, in the interest of the Nome Bowling Association, requested a long-term lease or purchase of the lot west of the N. C. Cat Shop, for a bowling alley. The matter was referred to a committee of Councilmen Wilke and Hedreen.

Ordinances were passed for the setting of new light and power rates, and providing for sales tax on same, to go into effect March 1.

Ernie Gustafson called attention to the fact that it was the duty of the City Fire Department to provide tarpaulins to protect property from water damage during fires.

Last evening, the Council met in special session with the Board of Directors of the Chamber of Commerce for further discussion on the Jail issue. The meeting was urgent, as Bon Davis, superintendent of the local Federal Jail, had been authorized to close the jail, should no decision be reached by the City in this matter, and to move the prisoners to Fairbanks, as there was no provision for extension of Federal Jail service here. It was brought out that most other cities in the State have assumed the operation of jails, and will be paid by the State and federal authorities for care of prisoners.

The Council were finally in unanimous agreement, and the city signed the agreement with the State of Alaska. A special meeting of the Council at 6:30 tonight will consider the staffing of the jail, which is expected to mean the adding of eight employees to the City payroll.

According to figures presented by Bon Davis, if wages and food supplies, and other expenditures are kept in line with what the federal government has been spending, the jail should not be a burden, but an asset to the community.

The agreements with State and the federal government contain a 30-day review clause, should the present agreements not prove satisfactory.