Hamilton County Mayor Jim Coppinger told commissioners during a budget work session Tuesday the county was considering selling its Silverdale facility to Corrections Corporation of America, the private company that runs the workhouse now, and having CCA build and operate a new jail to replace the county’s aged downtown facility.
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The Hamilton County-Chattanooga Courts building is located on Market Street. The Hamilton County Jail is seen in the upper right.Coppinger said he would soon come to the commission and ask it to hire the PFM consulting firm to research the move.
“We are looking at total privatization of our jails and our Silverdale workhouse,” Coppinger told commissioners.
But Coppinger said Tuesday it wasn’t set in stone. The study, which is expected to cost six figures, will guide them.