MidHudson News is reporting six Dutchess County residents spoke during a virtual public hearing on the proposed 2021 county budget November 30, all choosing to offer comment about the expenditure of $200 million on the new jail. The hearing was held by the county Legislature on the $501.8 million spending plan. Historically, the public hearing on the budget has drawn dozens of participants, speaking on a wide variety of matters from funding for the SPCA to providing additional money for the arts. In the past, the annual meeting has occasionally lasted for hours and had an overflow crowd. This year, the only topic was the expenditure of $200 million on a new jail, known as the Justice and Transition Center. The meeting lasted less than 20 minutes. All six speakers opposed the project. “We’ll look back years from now and be ashamed that we spent $200 million on a jail,” said Mona Kleinberg of the jail currently under construction. Legislature Chairman Gregg Pulver said the low level of public comment is indicative of community support for the spending plan. He did indicate that a few comments had been submitted via email and would be made part of the record. Read the full story in the Daily Freeman.