UPDATE:

In a contentious emergency meeting at the Meigs County Courthouse, commissioners voted 6–4 to abandon plans for a new multimillion-dollar jail and instead repair the existing facility, averting a proposed property tax increase that had sparked intense public backlash. Dozens of residents packed the room while others pressed against the windows holding signs, angrily accusing commissioners of poor planning, lack of transparency, and self-interest after years of delaying action on the jail’s failing state certification.

Speakers demanded resignations and questioned why the issue had been allowed to reach a last-minute crisis, with the deadline to present a compliance plan falling on the very night of the meeting. Following heated public comment and debate, Commissioner Stanley Welch moved to focus solely on repairing the current jail to meet minimum state standards, a motion that ultimately carried and aligned with the option most residents had fiercely advocated for.