MCRAE-HELENA, Ga. — A private prison in McRae-Helena is closing in 30 days, leaving hundreds looking for new jobs.
Officials say the closing could be a huge economic loss for Telfair County.
As of Monday, the future of this prison remains uncertain. The answer to where it's prisoners will go is still unknown. What is certain, however, is that by the end of November, more than 250 people will lose their jobs
The Georgia Department of Labor posted a layoff notice to its website, reporting that 252 prison employees will lose jobs on November 30.
The company that owns the prison, Nashville-based CoreCivic, says they hope their employees will get jobs with the state prison system or at other CoreCivic facilities, like the one in neighboring Wheeler County.
"We're hoping there's no layoffs," said Earl Merritt with the Telfair County Development Authority.
The state has bought the McRae private prison for $130 million, but so far has not confirmed with 13WMAZ what they'll do with it..
However, Merritt and Telfair County Sheriff Sim Davidson say CoreCivic employees tell them the state is making plans for the prison.
"That the state will take over December 1, and at that time, it'll be a women's prison," Davidson said.
Aside from jobs, the city itself will take a hit.
"The tax base will be diminished because of this," Davidson said.
Remember, CoreCivic is a private company so they have to pay taxes.
Just last year, CoreCivic paid nearly $651,000 in property taxes for the $48 million facility, according to the Telfair County Tax Commissioner's office.
Meanwhile, the other prison in town, Telfair State Prison, is owned by the state and tax exempt.
So, once the state takes over, the city can no longer tax the McRae site.
Sheriff Davidson says they might have to talk about adjusting their budget.
"Taxes are a big part of the funding we get to operate as an office so it's certainly a concern there," Davidson said.
Last year, the Federal Bureau of Prisons said they planned to phase out private prisons.
The McRae facility was built to house nearly 2,000 inmates. According to the company's website, it currently houses barely a quarter of that.