Brownback’s push for new Lansing prison is delayed again

Gov. Sam Brownback’s quest to build a new Lansing prison may have hit another snag.

At the last minute Thursday, he called off a meeting of the State Finance Council, which would have to approve the project. The panel includes Brownback and legislative leaders.

The same panel had agreed earlier this month to delay consideration of the proposed lease-to-own arrangement until Thursday.

Brownback’s office said in a statement that the meeting was postponed “due to continued information gathering for Lansing Correctional Facility.”

“An announcement will be made when decision is reached on a new date and time,” the Thursday morning statement said.

It is not clear if there are enough votes on the panel to approve the project. Some lawmakers have expressed that they have issues with the project, including several on the State Finance Council.

Prison officials had said that CoreCivic Inc., formerly known as Corrections Corporation of America, would design, build, finance and maintain the new prison. But the state would staff and operate it.

Critics of the plan said earlier that the process has been rushed and the financing method is questionable for replacing the state’s largest prison. They’ve called for more review and questioned the cost to taxpayers.

The proposal, which would cost Kansas roughly $362 million over 20 years, calls for a 1,920-bed maximum- and medium-security unit and a 512-bed minimum-security unit that would be built over two years.

The new prison would be more efficient, the corrections department has said, with a staff of 371, down from 682 positions needed in the current prison.

Scrutiny over the project continued to build after The Star revealed late last year that Brownback’s former chief of staff, David Kensinger, and another former Brownback staffer were registered as lobbying on behalf of CoreCivic. Brownback’s office said in late November that it was not involved in the selection of CoreCivic.

This story was originally published January 18, 2018 at 12:22 PM with the headline "Brownback’s push for new Lansing prison is delayed again."