FARMINGTON — With fanfare, speeches and a giant pair of scissors, the Davis County Sheriff's Office officially opened the expanded Davis County Jail on Wednesday.

It's been 19 months and $24.8 million since groundbreaking in May 2004, and it will still be about three months before inmates will be housed in the 400-bed expansion.

"It's a shame we have to have a jail expansion," Davis County Sheriff Bud Cox told the 100 people in attendance at the ribbon-cutting. "I'm afraid that's the bottom line. That's our business."

The expansion features three "pods" or housing units surrounding a control room. One pod — about 130 beds — is slated for women inmates, while the other pods will house men.

Each control room will be run by a civilian instead of a sworn deputy, Cox said. Hiring civilians allows the sheriff's office to save about $4 per hour per employee.

Cox needs 60 employees to run the expanded jail. Most of employees will be funded through a property-tax increase that commissioners approved Wednesday night. The county hired 25 employees in 2006. Those 25 are nearing the completion of their training, Cox said.

Commissioner Carol Page said Wednesday was her last ribbon-cutting as a county commissioner. Page is resigning at the end of this year, and Commissioner Dannie McConkie was ousted by incoming Commissioner Bret Millburn during the county's Republican convention.

"Today brings us to the closure of our term in office," Page said. "I'm proud of what we accomplished."

Friday night, Page, along with members of the community, will be locked down in 7-by-13-foot cells like inmates to see what a night in jail is like. Fortunately for her, she gets to go home the next day.

The jail expansion project began seven years ago, said Chief Deputy Kevin McLeod, who oversaw the jail construction for the sheriff's office.

McLeod said there have been lots of challenges, as well as home runs and touchdowns, along the way. A major challenge happened in 2002, when commissioners attempted to raise the county portion of the property-tax bill to pay for the jail.

A public outcry ensued, and commissioners asked voters to approve money for the jail expansion, which they did in the 2003 election.

When the expansion opens in March, the jail will hold 776 inmates in the secure facility and 120 in a work center.

---

E-mail: jdougherty@desnews.com