COLUMBIA — The Boone County Commission voted Tuesday to place a sales tax increase to fund a new Boone County jail on the November ballot.
The sales tax increase would be 3/8th of a cent per dollar and would fund the construction of a new Boone County Jail with 570 beds. The current jail can only house 190 detainees, according to previous KOMU 8 reporting.
Sheriff Dwayne Carey said a mental health facility would be built adjacent to the new detention center.
The proposed tax increase was initially planned to go on the ballot in the August primary election, but it was moved to the November general election after discussion from Boone County Presiding Commissioner Kip Kendrick to Carey saying the county should wait.
"I made the request to go in November so, simply, we can educate and get correct information out to all those constituents who vote," Carey said.
At a previous county commission meeting, Carey said the current Boone County jail is at capacity. He also said building a larger jail would save the county money because, right now, more detainees are housed in out-of-county jails than in Boone County jail, which is set to cost a total of $4 million this year.
If voters approve this tax increase on the November ballot, the construction work will not begin until later in 2027.
"We are looking at four to five years anyways until this detention center would open," Kendrick said.
District II Commissioner Janet Thompson said the county needs to be more mindful of what it puts on the ballot.
Thompson said the inmate housing problem needs a more complex solution than building a new detention center.
"We can't just build a new building and think that will solve the issue," Thompson said.
The city of Columbia has placed a separate tax increase to fund the Columbia police and fire departments on the August ballot. Gov. Mike Kehoe has also placed a measure on the August ballot to phase out state income taxes and raise sales taxes.