ALLOUEZ, Wis. (WFRV) – After noticing some confusion among residents, Allouez village officials provided some clarity on what’s going on with the Green Bay Correctional Institution.
A long and complicated state budget process created the confusion. Village president Jim Rafter said the biggest thing to know is that there’s a mutual commitment from both the state legislature and the governor to close GBCI.
“Green Bay correctional is going to close, our state leaders have committed to that,” Rafter said.
According to Rafter, the questions that remain are when the facility will close and what exactly must happen to make a closure possible. In the recently approved state budget, lawmakers included $15 million in funding to begin planning for the realignment of the state’s corrections system, which would eventually lead to the closure of GBCI. Other facilities must open up or get repurposed to take in the prisoner population at GBCI.
Rafter said the $15 million investment in the budget is a good sign that lawmakers have committed to closing GBCI.
“So we need the two different parties to come together, put together a plan and start executing that plan, and they need to keep us involved,” Rafter said. “I think we have smart people in Madison who truly want to do the right thing.”
Using his partial veto power, Governor Tony Evers struck the 2029 deadline for closing GBCI that lawmakers originally included in the budget. He argued that imposing a deadline doesn’t make sense when a solidified plan for realigning the state’s corrections system still doesn’t exist.
“Saying we’re going to do Green Bay by 2029 doesn’t mean a damn thing,” Evers said.
Rafter said news of the governor’s veto was unfortunate. He said that the village needs time to plan and having a deadline helps them with that process.
Rafter said he plans to invite Governor Evers and local lawmakers to a future village board meeting so they can discuss the logistics of how a plan to close GBCI would work. Rafter said village residents overwhelmingly support closing the facility.
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Many people worry about the conditions inside the prison, questioning whether it’s safe for both the correctional officers and the prisoners. Village of Allouez officials dream of using the prison land for a multi-use development that can benefit the entire village.
“Stay involved, understand what’s going on, understand the challenges, and make sure our legislators and our governor know that it needs to happen soon,” Rafter said.
