Commission President Sasha Rittenhouse previously said a new public safety building is something they’ve needed since 2017. The safety building includes the county jail, and the proposed sales tax for a new detention center would replace this building.
Costs for a new facility are estimated at $100 million. If the levy passes, county officials think they can at least get $15 million from the state to help, along with the $2 million they have in reserves, and the 0.5% sales tax increase will give the county $10 million a year.
“As of right now, we have no other funding planned because we did apply through the state, but they told us at that time we need to have at least 50% of the funding for the facility guaranteed through the local level,” said County Administrator Jenny Hutchinson.
‘There’s a lot more than just putting people behind bars’
John Detrick, former county commissioner who plans to be on the levy committee, said the county needs a more efficient jail.
“We have an old facility ... It’s a crime deterrent. We need your support for (a new one),” Detrick said.
John Maurer, who also plans to be on the levy committee, said he’s watched the department over the years and how it’s changing, including not being able to build a “class A” sheriff’s department because they don’t have the best facility, and they don’t have the room to train new employees or to fully help those who are incarcerated.
“There’s a lot more than just putting people behind bars with this facility. It’s to create an environment for these young deputies that want to come to work and do a good job. The sales tax is the fair way to do it,” Maurer said.
Community members see the need
Other community members and county residents took turns sharing their thoughts.
Sam George said he supports building a new jail, noting how some people charged with crimes, like theft, can’t be incarcerated because there’s not enough room.
Mike Lowe said he’s concerned about the expenses for a new jail, aside from the cost of building it, such as if they will have to hire more judges or more staff.
“I’m just really concerned about this money. I don’t have a problem with sales tax, but I want to see these expenses,” he said. “But I’m glad you’re letting the people talk about it with this sales tax because in the past we never got to vote on any of that.”
Financial concerns appear to be the biggest hurdle
Debi Cochran said it’s frustrating because taxes keep getting raised.
“The city went in and tax exempted Melody Park. Now those taxes are going to hit other people here because they’re going to have to add to these schools and those people don’t have to help with that,” she said. “People are getting hit with taxes every time we turn around. It’s never going to stop and it’s going to get to the point we’re all going to have enough and say no more.”
Melissa Timberman said she’d like to get more education and a comprehensive list of what the issues are in the current jail and what all needs replaced and fixed.
‘Everybody is paying for the facility, not just residents’
Hutchinson spoke about the different tax funding mechanisms, such as property, income (not available to the county) and sales taxes.
“The mechanism that the commissioners believe is the fairest is to do a sales tax increase because it not only taxes the residents, but it also taxes any tourism that comes into the community. Everybody is paying for the facility, not just residents,” she said.
The current sales tax is 7.25% and could go up to 7.75% if the levy is passed. Examples of what a 0.5% sales tax increase could be on include things such as Tide detergent (seven cent increase), a vehicle ($200 increase) and school supplies like glue sticks (one cent increase).
Things that are exempt from sales tax include groceries, prescription drugs and certain medical items, agricultural products and manufacturing equipment, baby products, medical equipment and others.
Struggling to meet state standards
If the levy doesn’t pass, the county will not be meeting jail standards. The county could try bringing the levy before voters again in the spring, but the county may have to cut services.
The county could consider renovating the existing building or build a smaller jail, but that could still be a future issue given the current jail cannot fit everyone.
The county could look at incarcerating some individuals outside of Clark County in other county jails, but that would also cost more money.
Mainly everyone that attended the meeting said they think this levy should go on the ballot so that residents have a chance to speak.
“This feedback is very positive for us to be able to say, ‘What are people thinking?’ What are the questions that they have so we can make sure that you have the right information to make a good decision as a voter moving forward,” said Commissioner Charles Patterson.
A second public hearing will be held at 10 a.m. Wednesday, July 30 in the Commission Chambers, room 151, 3130 E. Main St. Commissioners will vote at this meeting whether to put the levy on the ballot.
“What’s happening today and next week is not approval for the half percent and it’s done. It will go on the ballot in November for the public to vote whether they believe that we should have a half percent increase in the sales tax to fund this facility,” Hutchinson said.
A feasibility study was initially performed by DLZ in 2018 and updated in 2023. It created a report analyzing the attainability of building a new jail and public safety building, finding that a new jail would cost around $100 million now. In 2018, the study estimated a $35 million cost for renovations and a $55 million cost for a new facility.
In early 2024, officials started discussing construction of a new jail and public safety building to replace the downtown location that’s struggled for years to meet state standards. That year, the jail was found in noncompliance with 16 standards, with officials reporting they could not comply with many of them unless and until a new building is constructed.
More recently in late 2024, the state awarded more than $500,000 to the county to take steps toward remediating area brownfields, including one lot near Kenton and Burt streets that was previously identified as a potential location for a new county public safety building and jail.
A location is not yet known or picked for the new facility, but county officials hope to have one by the time the levy is on the ballot. It’s required to be in the city of Springfield, and they would need about 10-20 acres.
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