How much do you know about the inner workings of Allen County government?

For more than a year now, a court-ordered project to expand the Allen County Jail has been a hot topic in Fort Wayne.

In April 2022, a U.S. District Court Judge ordered the county to address understaffing and overcrowding issues at the current jail in Downtown Fort Wayne, saying its capacity must expand to more than 1,000 inmates. The jail is currently considered “operationally full” at 593 inmates, and at times in recent years, its capacity has exceeded 800.

In response, Allen County's three commissioners, who are charged with managing the project, have said the only way to meet this demand is to build a new jail—and quickly. Since then, nearly every step of the project has prompted public outcry, from its hurried pace of development, to its controversial location, its $350-million price tag and its (proposed) 0.2% local income tax increase.

Last week, about 60 residents attended a public hearing to oppose the income tax, many saying the county has not gathered enough public input for the project to proceed.

But while it’s clear that residents have strong opinions on the county jail, what’s less clear is how Allen County government functions and how the system impacts—and in some ways, contributes to—the situation at hand.

To get a better grasp on the inner workings of county government, we sat down Andrew Downs, a consultant and former political science professor and Director of the Mike Downs Center for Indiana Politics at Purdue University Fort Wayne.

When it comes to understanding county government, Downs promises, “it’s easier than you think.”