Madison, Wis. – Governor Tony Evers released a statement this week indicating that Wisconsin’s ambitious prison‑realignment plan will cost roughly $585 million, up from the original $325 million estimate. The increase represents an 80 percent jump and pushes the projected closure of the 128‑year‑old Green Bay Correctional Institution (GBCI) to the end of 2032.
Cost surge and timeline shift
Evers said taxpayers will bear the higher price as the state moves forward with closing GBCI, transferring inmates, rebuilding the Waupun Correctional Facility, and reconfiguring other prisons. The governor framed the delay as a necessary step to ensure the project is completed safely and responsibly.
Republican response
State Rep. Benjamin Franklin (R‑De Pere) immediately challenged the governor’s figures, accusing Evers of dragging his feet. “He hasn’t put an ask for the Department of Corrections realignment in any of those budgets until the most recent one,” Franklin said, adding that an engineering firm had warned the GBCI facility was structurally unsafe since 2020.
Franklin also noted that while construction costs nationwide have risen about 8 percent over a comparable 20‑month period, the governor’s 80 percent increase far exceeds that trend. “When I hear 80 percent, construction costs are going up at a pretty fast increasing rate, but the national statistic is about 8 percent,” he explained.
Democratic perspective
State Sen. Jamie Wall (D‑Green Bay) expressed disappointment over the cost growth but defended the overall plan, saying it remains far cheaper than building a brand‑new mega‑prison. Wall emphasized the need to move inmates safely, noting that the state must create “enough slack” to relocate the roughly 1,200 inmates currently housed at GBCI.
Wall added that the extended timeline gives officials the opportunity to manage the transition responsibly, rather than rushing a closure that could jeopardize public safety.
Local officials weigh in
Allouez Village President Jim Rafter issued a strongly worded statement, calling the governor “beyond frustrated” with Evers’ handling of the issue. Rafter questioned the source of the 80 percent figure, citing Turner Construction Company data that shows non‑residential building costs have risen only about 8 percent in the same period. He argued that, based on that benchmark, inflation would account for roughly $26 million of the increase, leaving about $234 million unexplained.
Rafter demanded a detailed accounting from the governor’s office, asking whether the original estimate was severely underestimated or if the project’s scope had changed substantially.
Next steps
The state will soon hire a construction‑management firm to oversee the project. Lawmakers will have another chance to allocate additional funding during the upcoming 2027 state budget process.
As the debate continues, Wisconsin taxpayers and local leaders are watching closely to see how the administration justifies the steep cost rise and whether the extended timeline will indeed allow for a safe, orderly transition of inmates from the historic Green Bay facility.
Original reporting: FOX 11 WLUK Green Bay (local) — read the source article.
