Jim Zeigler v. Kay Ivey suit on prison lease plan dismissed

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A circuit judge has dismissed the lawsuit filed by four plaintiffs seeking to block Gov. Kay Ivey’s prison lease plan.
 
After a hearing Friday, Judge Greg Griffin ruled today that the suit cannot go forward and dismissed it.
 
The suit alleged that the $3.6 billion prison lease plan is illegal because it was not approved by the legislature.
 
State Auditor Jim Zeigler, the lead plaintiff, made this statement:
 
“We are studying the Judge’s order.  We will make a decision this week on whether to appeal.  We will continue our fight to block the prison plan by raising issues that would cause potential investors to withdraw.  We believe that investors see the fatal flaws in this plan and will not touch it with a 10-foot pole.”
 
The three underwriters for the plan have withdrawn — Barclays, KeyBank and Stifel.
 

The plan would contract with three consortiums of private businesses, two led by CoreCivic of Nashville.  The contractors would pay to build three super-prisons in Bibb, Elmore and Escambia Counties of Alabama.  Two of the contracts were signed Feb. 1 with the one in Bibb County pending.

“The Ivey plan would force Alabama taxpayers to pay rents starting at $94 million a year and going up to $106 million.  At the end of 30 years, the state would own equity in the prisons of zero.  No equity.  This is a bad business plan,” Zeigler said.

“The Ivey plan does not address the problems in the prison system – safety of staff and other inmates; overcrowding; mental health; suicide; recidivism; and inadequate job training.  The plan merely throws over $3.6 billion of taxpayer money into rented buildings,” Zeigler said.   

Zeigler (R-Mobile) is joined in the suit by three other plaintiffs – State Rep. John Rogers (D-Birmingham); Leslie Osborne, a property owner adjacent to the proposed prison site in Elmore County; and Rev. Kenny Glasgow, a prisoner rights activist from Dothan.