Bivins urges caution, wants Illinois to get 
best deal possible

Related: Quinn expects action 'rather quickly'

DIXON – State Sen. Tim Bivins, R-Dixon, said Monday that there’s no question in his mind that there will be a “huge economic impact” on this region if Thomson becomes a federal prison. 

Still, there are questions that he wants answered before the state makes a decision. He wants to know what will happen to the state’s workers there now, and how the state will address its own prison overcrowding issues.

“We need a well-thought-out decision and a long-range plan, not only for the potential sale of the prison, but also for the Illinois Department of Corrections,” Bivins said. “People tend to get tunnel vision when there is millions of dollars being offered out there.”

Gov. Pat Quinn has not released a prison appraisal or said what the Federal Bureau of Prisons is offering for Thomson Correctional Center, which cost about $143 million to build in 2001.

Quinn also has not said whether the state has looked at other offers or options for the facility, Bivins said.

When it comes to making a final decision, that information is vital, the former Lee County sheriff said.

State negotiators also need to keep in mind the $80 million the state still owes on the prison, and the $4.5 million the village of Thomson owes for the wastewater treatment plant, which was built to handle the prison’s needs, he said.

“This is not a partisan issue, but ... the General Assembly has been left out of the process, and that is a mistake,” Bivins said.

“In this case, there is a greater demand for this particular piece of property, and we need to look at the best possible deal for the taxpayers.”