COUNTY WILL DISCUSS BUYING LAND FOR JAIL

* The closed session today focuses only on real estate; questions linger
about beds for substance abuse treatment

When the Multnomah County Board of Commissioners gathers today to discuss
land for a new jail, a lot more is at stake than just the purchase price.

Also on the line are a future public safety levy to pay for a chunk of the
county's justice system and the political reputations of the board,
especially Chairwoman Beverly Stein.

Today's session will move the board closer to securing property owned by the
Port of Portland to build a 225-bed, medium-security jail. But beyond that,
any kind of agreement has been almost impossible.

"If you think there are five (commissioners) standing up and saying, 'Let's
do it,' then I don't think we're there," said Ramsey Weit, a top assistant
to Commissioner Diane Linn. "Will we get there? I don't know. I'm always
hopeful, but it remains to be seen."

Not a brick laid

In three years, the county has gone through more than 100 potential jail
sites, dozens of public meetings and more than $2 million in taxpayer money
- -- all without laying a single brick.

The latest delay is caused by a dispute over where to put 300 beds for
alcohol and drug treatment.

The county wants to embark on an intensive program that would hold some
inmates with substance abuse problems for roughly 90 to 180 days to give
them counseling and other treatment.

Originally, the board wanted the treatment beds at the jail, slated to be
built along Bybee Lake in North Portland. But a dispute erupted between
Sheriff Dan Noelle and Elyse Clawson, director of the county's Adult
Community Justice department, over which agency would control the inmates
getting treatment.

The board decided to separate the treatment beds from the jail and put them
at another site.

Noelle doesn't want the beds at the jail unless inmates going through
treatment get admitted and released through his office. "It's a matter of
maintaining the level of security that we promised the community,"
he said.

Now the focus has shifted back to putting at least some of the beds at the
jail. But the board has reached no consensus.

Stein is hopeful

Stein has been pleased with the board since it underwent massive change last
year when three of the five commissioners were elected. She has described
the board as "vibrant" and "fresh, full of new ideas."

But leadership is proving difficult with the board splintered on the $55
million jail.

Stein wants to keep the jail at 225 beds, including 75 for treatment. She
also wants the county to reconvene a siting advisory committee for an
additional 225 treatment beds spread throughout the county.

"Getting a 5-0 vote on this is not my top priority on this," Stein said.
"What I'm proposing is good policy, and we shouldn't back away from it
because we think the public won't react well to it."

So far, Linn remains Stein's most solid ally, and Commissioner Sharron
Kelley has said she'll support the chairwoman for now.

Noelle has allies

But Commissioners Serena Cruz and Lisa Naito are siding with Noelle. They
want to put all 300 treatment beds at the new jail with the sheriff's
department providing security and Clawson's staff providing treatment.

Cruz thinks her district would be torn apart by another siting process, this
time for the treatment beds.

"I feel like we've already done the work siting the jail here, and I think
it's time to move on," Cruz said.

Kelley said she'd like the board to consider putting off any big decisions
about the jail until voters decide whether they'll support the public safety
levy, tentatively slated for the November 2000 ballot.

"In general, I think the chair's office has a more common-sense approach to
solving this, so I'll follow her lead on this," Kelley said. "But the devil
is in the details, and the issue of timing is an important one. Should we
build a jail before we ask voters if they support a levy? We'll see."

Levy vote worries

Some on the board worry that if they aren't unanimous on the jail and the
treatment beds, they'll have a difficult time persuading voters to pass the
levy.

Today's meeting, which will not be open to the public because it concerns
real estate negotiations, comes about a week before a scheduled May 6 vote
on whether to purchase the Port's land.

Cruz and Naito have filed a resolution calling for the county to put the
treatment beds at the new jail. Stein's staff is proposing a series of
amendments.

In a meeting earlier this week, the board's top staffers discussed a memo
from the county's lawyers, which said it's unclear legally whether the
treatment beds can be operated within the jail.

"It clarified for us that nothing would prevent us from successfully siting
and operating the (treatment) beds within the jail," said Mary P. Carroll,
an assistant to Cruz who attended the meeting. "There were different
interpretations, and any of the siting options present risks. But there's
nothing that says we can't do this."

Noelle remains confident that a conclusion will be reached soon. Does he
think the decision will go in his favor?

"It's really confusing. Every time we've gotten close to having a deal,
something changes," Noelle said.

"I didn't think when we started that this would take three years. This isn't
a battle between me and Elyse. I think the board now needs to make a
decision on the commitments we made to the community.

"This is one issue that I'm trying very hard to work with the board in a
diplomatic way."

You can reach David Austin at 221-5383 or by e-mail at
davidaustin@news.oregonian.com.