City Council Member Dave Duax says the Eau Claire City Planning Commission changed wording on jail plans last week to broaden the jail expansion's options to other sites around the city.

"Most of the criteria deal with the fact that the justice center must have compatibility with the land use plans, which include being compatible with either neighborhood or commercial or light industrial areas,” says Duax. “I think it's broad enough that most of the locations, it will be helpful."

Members of Citizens Against Jail Expansion told WEAU 13 News on the phone Sunday that the new ideas are a step in the right direction.

"The wording prior to last week, if you would have gone by the criteria the way it was worded, the only alternate there would have been would be the existing site,” says Dennis Begalke.

The original jail site plan was defeated in June. Members of CAJE say any site needs space for evacuation areas, and for future expansion if needed. They say the space looked at in the previous plan doesn't have that.

“Anyplace would be better to some place where they're already out of room,” says Begalke.

The members of CAJE say even with a greater possibility of different sites, it's not a victory just yet. Duax says he favors acting fast on the new plans.

"If you ask me that, I’d say tomorrow,” Duax says, in response to when he’d like to see the jail plans resolved. “But it'll take a few months for the process.”

The Eau Claire City Council meets tomorrow to discuss the new criteria for the jail site plans at 7pm at City Hall.

If approved at Tuesday’s 4pm meeting, the criteria will go to the county board for further planning.
Everyone we spoke to says they hope to have the jail matter resolved in 2010.