Faced with overcrowding at the Boone County Jail and millions spent housing detainees elsewhere, Boone County Sheriff Dwayne Carey is asking voters to approve a new sales tax to fund a larger facility.
The potential three-eighth cent sales tax comes as Columbia voters also weigh a proposed 1% public safety sales tax, and Missouri lawmakers consider expanding the state’s reliance on sales taxes. The Boone County Commission will hold a public hearing Tuesday on whether to place the measure on the Aug. 4 ballot.
If the measure is approved by voters, the new jail would house 570 beds and be constructed in such a way that it could be expanded multiple times over decades, according to a Boone County news release. At minimum, construction would take four years, according to the release.
The Boone County Jail’s total number of beds is 245, yet 390 total are currently held by the county’s law enforcement as of Saturday. More than $2.5 million is spent housing detainees outside of Boone County without factoring in transportation costs, Carey said.
“Based on the first quarter of 2026, we are estimating we will spend more than $4 million on out-of-county housing this year,” he said.
The jail has struggled with overcrowding since 1997, Carey said. He believes a newer jail would bring more space and improved medical and mental health services.
“The money would be used for not only the brick-and-mortar costs, but for ongoing operating costs as well,” Carey wrote in an email.
Carey said there are no available beds at the Department of Mental Health, meaning the county jail must continue to hold those detainees. There are also 28 homicide suspects held and awaiting trial, even for cases that are several years old.
Today, the jail houses around 98% felony detainees, and there is no longer a work release program to help decrease the detainee population. Carey said a new jail could improve due process by keeping detainees local, allowing them to build a connection to their attorney and support system.
Carey said this could aid in cases moving through the court system at a timely pace.
Who is really detained in Boone County?
The Boone County government website releases a spreadsheet daily showing the county’s current detainees. The report also shows why people were detained and does not necessarily mean they have been convicted yet.
The Missourian reviewed the report on Saturday to learn more about who is detained in Boone County.
According to the report, 50%, or 199, of the detainees were Black, while around 47%, or 185, were white. The U.S. Census Bureau estimated in 2024 that around 80% of Boone County was white, while only 10% of the county was Black.
The most common charge, armed criminal action, occurred 81 times. Third-degree domestic assault and possession of controlled substance follow as the most common offenses, counted 35 and 34 times respectively.
Males make up more than 80% of the jail and total 337 detainees. Boone County is around 51% female and 48% male, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.
The most prominent age group, 35-45 years old, covers around 35% of detainees. The youngest detainees are 16, and the oldest is 74 years old.
Two detainees are 16 years old and five detainees are 17 years old. Among the 17-year-old detainees is Mikel Jones, one of four teens involved in the iPhone robbery turned shooting of Michael Ryan Burke, who later died.
Jones is charged with robbery, armed criminal action and second-degree murder, and will be tried as an adult, according to KOMU 8 reporting.
“We only house juveniles when they have been certified as adults. When in an adult facility, they cannot be housed with adults,” Carey said in an email. “We have to assure they are not within sight or sound of adult detainees.”
There are 306 detainees from Boone County, from cities and towns like Ashland, Columbia, Sturgeon, Centralia and Hallsville. There are 10 detainees from out of state, all who have committed serious crimes such as assault, burglary and kidnapping.