Oklahoma County officials are considering how to pay for a new jail, including the first sales tax the county has ever seen.
County commissioners said voters approved a bond issue two years ago to build the jail, but the $260 million allotted won’t be enough to cover the cost. Those funds would pay for a jail with 700 beds when officials say up to 2,400 beds are needed.
Citizens Bond Oversight Committee Chairman Steve Mason told the commissioners the new jail will cost at least $610 million.
To meet this discrepancy, county commissioners authorized the committee to explore various options, including the first-ever Oklahoma County sales tax, increased property taxes, federal funding and a possible "public-private" partnership.
The current Oklahoma County Jail has been plagued by problems since its opening, including one of the highest rates of inmate deaths in the whole country.
Where the new jail will be built also remains up in the air after its proposed location near Del City was denied by city council.
But no matter where the new jail is built, Commissioner Myles Davidson said the county needs to find the funds to support it.
"Either we, as elected officials and citizens, come together to build a new jail and fund it properly,” Davidson said. “Or we do nothing and allow [the Department of Justice] to come in — and then we will see the largest increase in ad valorem taxes in Oklahoma County history, and probably in state history."
He said waiting for the Department of Justice to become involved will be “a lot more expensive.”
Mason of the bond oversight committee argued the alternatives are simply unacceptable.
"If we can't solve this with funding, this old jail remains,” he said, “and that's not an option.”
This report was produced by the Oklahoma Public Media Exchange, a collaboration of public media organizations. Help support collaborative journalism by donating at the link at the top of this webpage.
