Cuyahoga County jail project clears legal hurdle with committee vote

CLEVELAND, Ohio (WOIO) - A special committee voted Monday to approve plans and specifications for the new Cuyahoga County jail, clearing a major legal hurdle for the $894 million project.

The committee voted three to approve and one to abstain on the plans for the facility in Garfield Heights. The vote is required by Ohio law before construction can legally move forward.

In March, Cuyahoga County Prosecutor Michael C. O’Malley demanded that construction on the new jail in Garfield Heights stop immediately.

Ohio law mandates that before a courthouse or jail project begins, two separate groups must approve the “plans, drawings, representations, bills of material, and specifications of work, and estimates of the cost” for the project.

According to O’Malley, a Nov. 15, 2024 letter, co-authored by Cuyahoga County Executive Chris Ronayne and then-Council President Pernell Jones, Jr., acknowledged the law; however, O’Malley said no group ever voted on anything.

The law goes on to say a second four-member group must vote also to approve the plans and specifications before the project begins.

O’Malley said he just learned construction on the new jail began before either the first group or second group approved any of the plans and specifications for the project, which means this project is illegal.

On Thursday, O’Malley sent a letter to Ronayne and other council members, demanding the project be halted until the project can be voted on by a majority of their members.

O’Malley added “any further expenditure of public funds is illegal.”

“The county jail is a court function and it is critical that the members of this committee get an opportunity to weigh in exactly what that jail will be about,” O’Malley said.

Three committee members voted yes. The fourth, Cuyahoga County Sheriff Harold Pretel, abstained.

“The auditor of the state is still looking at some things, which there is a process where there could be some criminal liability, civil liability. It is still kind of murky and I believe to further add to that mud is not a good idea,” Pretel said.

The sheriff’s abstention did not block the vote. A majority was enough to pass. Questions about the project’s earlier spending remain.

County Executive Chris Ronayne said the county has continued to follow what it believes to be the proper process.

“We have just continued to process according to what we believe to be the process and I am pretty confident that we are all closer to being on the same page now,” Ronayne said.

The new jail, which will replace the current Cuyahoga County Justice Center downtown, is in Garfield Heights and is scheduled to open sometime in 2029.

Once the new $890 million jail is completed, the two jail buildings downtown will be primarily vacated.

According to a news release the facility will have:

• Enhanced substance abuse and mental health services
• Behavioral Care Center
• Reentry Resource Center
• Recreation areas in each housing unit
• Enhanced Central Booking Unit to improve processing and arraignment
• 1,886 beds
• 26-bed infirmary and exam rooms for each housing unit

The Office of County Executive Chris Ronayne recently released the following statement.

The County administration has been in close communication with the Court as they have decided to withdraw from the proposed draft agreement. All parties remain committed to working together on a new agreement.