SR: Jail Expansion Makes Cents Now

Voters turned down a $50 million expansion in 2005, so there’s no question this will be a tough sell. But part of the reason for the high price tag is that the expansion has been delayed for so long. Nonetheless, the county deserves credit for finding creative ways to shave construction costs. Last year’s measure sought $88 million for the jail; now it’s $57 million. Once the economy rebounds, so will costs. It would be cheaper to build it now. The county is proposing to pay for the expansion with a half-cent sales tax increase over the next 10 years. What makes this an optimum time for passage is that half of the increase would finance the expansion and the other half would go toward property tax relief. But this state-approved local-option tax expires this year. Voters would be wise to take advantage of it now/ Spokesman-Review Editorial Board . More here .

Question: Do you agree/disagree that this jail expansion is needed?