10/16/2026
Is a $550,000-per-year deficit worth spending $17,000,000 a year, when there are alternative ways to eliminate that deficit?
One solution could be to reduce the number of people being held who do not pose a threat to the community. This could be achieved by reforming the classist cash-bail system. Cash bail disproportionately incarcerates poor people and harms their families.
There are better alternatives: https://www.ncsl.org/civil-and-criminal-justice/pretrial-release-conditions
Did the Sheriff explore any of these options before suggesting another tax increase? Building a new jail will not fix the problem when the underlying issues are systemic.
