Tuesday, the Warren County Board of Supervisors will take up a number of items. They will approve minutes and invoices and hear updates from engineers and department heads about ongoing projects.

They will also be asked to decide whether or not to approve a recommendation on a new contractor to provide food service to the county’s jail.

You might ask what the big deal is? You might wonder why so much time, effort and money is spent on those in custody?

The answer to both questions is because we have to. Those who are in jail are our responsibility and their respectable treatment is crucial to a civilized society.

Warren County Sheriff Martin Pace said it perfectly when he said the money spent on the foodservice is just part of the overall care and treatment that is not only required by the courts but is the right thing to do.

That is yet another reason why the construction of a new jail is so important. It is the right thing to do.

The long outdated facility has outlived its serviceable time. It is a facility that provides far too many challenges to our deputies and guards and more than one grand jury has called on the county to make changes.

In the scheme of what the supervisors need to accomplish, the foodservice contract is a small project, but the fair and respectable treatment of those in our care is a must as is the continued progress toward a new jail.

The previous members of the Warren County Board of Supervisors made slow, meticulous progress toward a new jail. It is our hope — our community’s hope — this new group of supervisors are able to pick up the pace and make a new county jail a reality — soon.