Leading up to the May election deciding on a new jail for Wichita County, Kan., no one knew which way the winds of change were blowing. By Saturday night the future was clear -- Wichita County will have a new jail as residents voted in favor of a bond for the jail 58 percent to 42 percent.
The results for the election were 2,557 votes in favor of the proposed $70 million jail and law enforcement center and 2,054 against the bond.
A second proposition for the creation of a county assistance district that would affect the sales tax in rural areas of the county was shot down 294 to 185.
The county has needed improved jail facilities nearly as long as there has been a jail. Wichita County Sheriff David Duke said the county has needed a new jail facility for at least 50 years. He has been with the county and described the conditions when he started the job as a "dungeon jail." Since that time, the county slowing improved conditions, but the current jail facilities have outlived their useful life, Duke says.
About 20 years ago, the county added the Sprague Annex as a "temporary" facility, to the existing downtown jail that was becoming overcrowded.
Since then commissioners have mulled several projects, but the time or the dollar figures never seemed quite right. Wichita County Judge Woody Gossom said they have seen proposals anywhere from $140 million to more than $250 million, but he did not feel those projects were in the best interest of the taxpayers.
In February, the county's financial adviser Murphy Davis said with interest rates at historic lows, now is a great time to be borrowing money.
County Judge Woody Gossom said the court, architects, staff and others looked at more than 10 different configurations of the plan. The bond approved is for a $70 million all-new one-story, 672-bed structure near the current Sprague Jail Annex. The building will include a larger book-in area that can hold up to 72 people, sally port, visitation room, infirmary, laundry, kitchen, and law enforcement offices for the Wichita County Sheriff's Office. The county already owns the land where they plan to build, in the parking area to the north of the branch of Vernon College.
Harper Perkins Architects Inc. of Wichita Falls and HOK consulting team out of Dallas have been a cohesive team in planning this monumental feat.
Financing for the project will be a 30-year bond amounting to a 7-cent per valuation tax increase for county residents.
Getting correct information to the public proved difficult and some people did not even know the county was considering a bond even a few weeks before election day. County staff send out paper brochures to every registered voter's home with information about the proposed bond and the jail project. Duke, Gossom, and Commissioner Jeff Watts visited several civic groups, fire departments and police departments to get out the most accurate information.
"I think if people really knew the facts and saw what we see everyday, the vote would have been 90 percent for it," Gossom said.
As soon as 90-120 days after the election, funds could be available to begin construction. The final project could be completed by 2020.
A second item on the May 6 election was a proposal for a formation of a County Assistance District Number 1. Currently about $1.4 million in local taxes go to an unallocated fund at the state level. These funds come from a variance between the 6.25 percent county sales tax rate and the 8.25 percent state tax rate. The 6.25 percent rate is for businesses in unincorporated areas of the county. Many of the businesses already charge the state rate, instead of the county rate. The formation of the assistance district would have allowed the county to use the additional two percent to fund volunteer firefighter departments, road and bridge development and the sheriff's office. Watts said with this second defeat from a vote of the people, they are unlikely to try for the CAD again any time soon.
Early voting saw an average turnout for local elections per Wichita County Clerk Lori Bohannon. A total of 2,392 votes cast in early voting, about half of the total amount of votes.
