Jail Tax Vote Looms in 2010

Voters in Oklahoma County  may be asked next spring to approve taxes that would finance repairs to or replacement of the aging county jail.

Commissioners last week approved a $175,000 contract with two architectural firms to develop plans for renovating and expanding the existing jail.

The firms will also prepare plans for a new jail, but a county committee has already said the proposed $300 million price tag for a new facility is too high.

The U.S. Justice Department released a report in August that criticized the existing jail, which opened in 1991.

District 3 commissioner Ray Vaughn said the county also needs a new juvenile facility twice the size of the current structure.

A jail committee that was established to resolve the issues cited in the federal report said the current facility could be remodeled, with a new annex and juvenile center included, for $200 million. Remodeling of the jail would cost approximately $100 million.

The proposed annex would include medical and mental health wards, a kitchen, laundry, a booking area, and minimum security housing.

The committee recommended that a trust be established to oversee the financing of a new facility if one is built. The trust will be in place before an election is held.

Vaughn said the financing could include a 15-year property tax increase and a permanent 0.5% sales tax for operational costs. Voters rejected a tax hike for a new jail in 2003.

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