Lucas County to ask for tax to pay for construction of new jail

Lucas County commissioners took steps Tuesday toward putting a countywide 1.9-mill property tax levy on the Nov. 7 ballot to pay for a new county jail and fund criminal justice operations.

The commissioners approved a resolution setting in motion the process to issue a bond for construction of a $145 million criminal justice facility and a 0.84-mill property tax to pay for its operations.

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The resolution asked the Lucas County auditor's office to certify the amount of revenue such a levy would produce. It passed in a 3-0 vote.

The county is taking advantage of a new Ohio law that allows using property taxes to pay for a new jail and fund criminal justice operations.

The commissioners are proposing to use 1.08-mills, which equates to about $7.7 million annually, to finance jail construction. The remaining $6 million generated by the levy request would support jail operations.

The proposed 650-bed jail would replace the aging and inefficient nine-story county jail at 1622 Spielbusch Ave., in downtown Toledo. It would be used to house inmates awaiting trial in jail and people serving misdemeanor sentences for convictions in municipal courts and Lucas County Common Pleas Court.

Sheriff John Tharp said the existing jail that opened in 1977 is poorly designed, doesn't meet modern jail standards, and doesn't allow for direct inmate supervision. He said the facility is plagued by a leaky roof, pipes that break and spill sludge into employee work areas, and elevators that frequently break down.

"We need to get a new jail," he said. "Our jail is the pits. It truly is a cesspool. That jail is a place nobody wants to be."

The ballot language calls for the levy to be continuous and not subject to voter renewal. County officials said 1.08-mill of the levy would be removed from the tax rolls after the debt on the new jail is paid off, but the remaining 0.82-mill would stay in place on a continuous basis.

The additional cost in property taxes to the owner of a $100,000 home would be $66.50 annually if the issue wins voter approval.

Commissioners said they plan to purchase 30 acres within the city of Toledo for the new criminal justice center. They intend to use some of the land for the site for a new 150-bed community-based treatment facility that will be built with state money.

County officials have pledged to use freed up sales tax revenue to increase funding for countywide emergency medical services, if voters approve the property tax.

EMS operations currently receive about $9 million of the $15.5 million collected annually from a 0.25 percent sales tax dedicated for EMS and public safety expenses.

The county is proposing to increase the EMS annual share of the tax to $10.5 million.

Tribune Content Agency
Infrastructure Public finance Ohio
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