SIERRA VISTA, Ariz. (KGUN) — Cochise County is wrapping up its public meetings for its proposed jail district, which includes a half-cent increase to the area's sales tax. The county held a meeting in Sierra Vista on Wednesday to continue sharing the new ballot measure, voters will see in November.
Two years ago, voters approved the half-cent increase through an all-mail ballot special election. The Board of Supervisors settled a lawsuit earlier this year. The lawsuit claimed the special election was done improperly. Part of the settlement was to suspend the tax collection and have the tax on a ballot during a general election.
The Supervisors have changed the ballot language, decreasing the length of it and to strictly cover the construction and design of the new jail.
"We want to build this jail and then pay it off as quickly as possible. The intent is to pay this off as quickly as possible, but we have to ask the voters for 17 years,” said Board Chair, Frank Antenori. “The intent now, at a minimum, is to have this new jail last a minimum of 75 years, with the hope of it lasting as much as 100 years.”
The total bond request is for $130 million. Antenori says, $90 million will be for construction, $10 million will be for the design, $20 million to lay the proper groundwork at the location, and $10 million will sit in a reserve to cover potential inflation costs. The new ballot measure eliminates the coverage of operations costs from the previous ballot measure.
He told attendees at Wednesday's meeting, that before the tax stopped at the end of July, it was collecting about a million dollars a month.
"(We have) about $15.5 million in the bank with the treasury, that's how much from the current sales tax has been generated," Antenori said. "That money has not been touched, and like I said, that will be used for the construction of the jail.”
For jail commander Kenneth Bradshaw, a new facility means more opportunity to help people since he says most of the inmates struggle with mental health.
"These people are so mentally ill that I can't put them in general population, because the general population will either prey on them or they're so out of control that they can injure the general population, and they have to be isolated," he said. "Being mentally ill should not be a crime. we need, really, to help these folks out, and in cochise county, we're not doing that.”
The sales tax will be paid by anyone who shops in the county.
“There is a segment of the population in our jail that is not for Cochise County as well," Antenori said. "So it only stands to reason that we have other counties and other folks support the construction of this jail and not put the complete burden on the taxpayers of Cochise County.”
County officials say if the tax doesn’t pass in November, the board will look at increasing property taxes to cover the costs.
The last public meeting is Sept. 24 at the Benson Community Center, 705 W. Union Street, Benson, AZ 85602, from 6 to 8 p.m.
RELATED COVERAGE | New Cochise County jail has a location, but where's the funding?
----
STAY IN TOUCH WITH US ANYTIME, ANYWHERE
- Download our free app for Roku, FireTV, AppleTV, Alexa, and mobile devices.
- Sign up for daily newsletters emailed to you
- Like us on Facebook
- Follow us on Instagram
- Follow us on Twitter
——-
Alexis Ramanjulu is a reporter in Cochise County for KGUN 9. She began her journalism career reporting for the Herald/Review in Sierra Vista, which she also calls home. Share your story ideas with Alexis by emailing alexis.ramanjulu@kgun9.com or by connecting on Facebook.
