By Traci Chapman
Published on May 29, 2008

Canadian County officials are “regrouping” after a proposed $24.8 million proposal to fund a new jail with a sales tax increase was rejected by voters.

“We’re back to square one,” District 1 Commissioner Phil Carson said. “We wanted to get it to a vote of the people — that was our job — and now we’ll have to figure out where to go from here.”

Voters defeated the proposal by a wide margin, with 2,985 voters — 69.32 percent — rejecting the proposal, and 1,321 — 30.68 percent — voting “yes” on the measure.
Sheriff Lewis Hawkins said he would work with commissioners to find solutions in light of the defeat.

“I can read the handwriting on the wall as well as anyone else. The people spoke,” he said. “We’re going to have to sit back and regroup, and it’s going to be up to the commissioners to decide what they’re going to do on it now.”

District 2 Commissioner Don Young told Mustang’s Positive Posse members last week the proposal failed because it was “poorly handled” and “rushed — the other two (commissioners, Carson and District 3 Commissioner Grant Hedrick) and the sheriff forced this through. I knew it wouldn’t pass.”

When asked why he voted in favor of the proposal, Young said, “I didn’t have a choice. I had to go along with it.”

Hedrick said he believed the sales tax increase did not meet voters’ approval because of the increase in fuel prices and the lagging economy.

“We’re all feeling it — I think people are worried, and any kind of tax increase right now just wasn’t going to go over,” he said. “The problem is the jail is in such poor shape — we had to try.”

Hedrick and Carson said Commissioners would look at “options” to fix the existing jail. Hawkins previously said it would cost about $250,000 to fix the most pressing problems at the facility. However, he said, one problem could not be fixed: overcrowding. He said in light of the proposal’s failure, he expects the jail inspector to “come down hard” on the county because of overcrowding.

“We’re still looking at about 100 people in a facility designed for 72. I don’t know how we’re going to address that,” he said. “I expect him to put my feet right straight to the fire and say 72 is our maximum, and that’s it. That means more and more people are going to be released on recognizance bonds or something of that nature.”

The state jail inspector recently cited the county for violations at the jail, such as a leaking roof, insufficient lighting, showers and drains not working and overpopulation. None of the consulting firms involved in the project —architectural firm Bruton Knowles and Love, financial adviser Municipal Finance Services and bond counsel Public Finance — will be paid any fees in connection with their work on the proposal because their contracts were contingent on the measure passing. However, county election officials said it cost about $28,000 to hold the election.

“It was a big waste of money,” Young said. “It shouldn’t have gone to a vote in the first place.”