10/19/2026
Our speakers Saturday morning were Kip Kendrick, Boone County Presiding Commissioner, and Sheriff Dwayne Carey. They were here to provide information about Prop L, which will be on the November ballot. Prop L will impose a 3/8 cent sales tax, with a 15-year sunset, to cover bond payments for a new 570 bed jail to replace the current jail, which opened in 1991 with a capacity of 182 beds and was full within 6 months. Kip and Dwayne shared that this has been in conversation for several decades but became more important with the increase in out-of-county housing over the past few years. In 2022, the county paid $500,000 for out-of-county housing. Because of the increase of detainees, even with programs like adult court, drug court, mental health court, veteran's court, and house arrest that work to find other solutions for misdemeanor or low level felonies, the county expects to pay around $4 million this year for the 244 offenders that are spread across fourteen counties. Out-of-county housing causes additional costs for transportation, as well as separation from legal representatives, which causes delays in due process of cases. If this passes, the new jail will be built on land that the County already owns, out near the fire training area and we will not see taxes until 2027. The building will take 3-4 years to be built, but the design has plans for future expansion as needed.
Additionally, when the jail opened, it handled 70% misdemeanor, 20% felony, and 10% commit-to-county instead of being sent to Department of Corrections. Since that time, there are more violent crimes, with a majority involving felony charges of homicide and r**e. There are also offenders with mental health issues being held while they wait on outside facilities for them, which can take 18-24 months. They cannot safely function with others, which means they have to have their own cell. The current jail does not provide medical or mental health spaces and the kitchen area is 35 years old, which is not adequate for the current facility and there is no accessible booking area in the current jail.
