Gage County Considers New Jail, Looks To Public For Input

By Gordon HopkinsGage County Supervisors discussed proposals for a new jail at a meeting Wednesday, February 18, 2026. Christian Petrick with Davis Design, a Lincoln-based architectural firm, provided an update on the jail project assessment, programming and bond planning stages.Davis Design is creating building plan options for changes at the current site, and also looking into a new and different site, reviewing the pros and cons of each option. The estimated cost is $600 to $650 per square foot for construction, and there is a need for five to seven acres of land to build off-site for a 50,000 to 55,000 square foot facility.Also under consideration are potential project financing options. Town Hall informational meetings will be held at 7 p.m. on March 4 and March 6 at the Beatrice High School Hevelone Center to raise public awareness, do a formal survey, and get feedback from the public. An online survey will be created to get public feedback and follow-up Town Hall meetings will be held leading up to the November 2026 General Election, which is the goal for having the issue on the ballot.Supervisor Emily Haxby emphasized the importance of getting public input from the meetings and the surveys as part of this process to find out what the public thinks is appropriate and what they would like to see happen so they can work through a cost analysis of the different ‘build’ or ‘no build’ options.Supervisor Gary Lytle said that the current facility is operating under a ‘grandfather’ clause and, at some point, may become non-operational which would force all inmates to be sent out of county. Under those circumstances, the county would still have to have some type of short-term holding facility for intake and processing, even if inmates are then sent to other facilities outside the county.Haxby added that the facilities in surrounding areas are mostly ‘the same age as ours so they may be in this same situation soon with needing to outsource inmate housing to different facilities.’Petrick also pointed out the other services that the office provides such as housing the investigators, fingerprinting services, vehicle inspections, and the Sheriff Department patrol officers and staff, so the need for a facility will never go away. According to Gage County Sheriff Millard “Gus” Gustafson, the county has been in dire need of a new jail for years. In an interview earlier this month, the sheriff told FJN, “Currently, the jail is outdated.”More than 29 specific deficiencies were identified with the jail facility, according to Gustafson, “The Jail Standards Board, they gave me five years, and we crammed it through pretty much, and got most of that done.” However, the sheriff still believes the facility needs a complete modernization and not just fixes, “The actual facility itself was built back in the 70s, and now we can’t get parts for some stuff.”A previous attempt at a bond was unsuccessful. As badly as he thinks it is needed, Gustafson is doubtful a new bond will pass given the current political climate, “You know, the mood’s not real good right now, with all the taxes going up.”

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