CEDAR CITY — Voter approval will be required to secure funding for a new jail and sheriff’s complex after the Iron County Commission voted to put a nearly $90 million bond issue on the November ballot.
After a 3 1/2 hour meeting at the Heritage Center Theater in Cedar City last Thursday, commissioners Paul Cozzens and Mike Bleak voted 2-0 to place a special bond election on the Nov. 21 ballot. Marilyn Wood, the commission’s third member, was not in attendance as her mother had died earlier in the day. However, Wood later confirmed her support of the action her fellow commissioners had taken.
The resolution states that the proposed issuance of general obligation bonds to finance the new jail would be for an amount “not to exceed $89,950,000.”
Although approximately 30 people provided public input during last week’s meeting, the actual public hearing associated with the proposed bond election won’t happen until the evening of Oct. 9, county officials announced at the Aug. 31 meeting.
The commissioners’ decision came two weeks after they initially voted to raise property taxes via the truth in taxation process. However, that decision was rescinded on Aug. 28 during the commission’s next regular meeting in Parowan.
“One thing that I think we’ve got to make clear is this is not a recent development,” Cozzens said during his opening remarks on Thursday. “We didn’t just start thinking about building a jail a year ago. Like I said, we started talking seriously in 2019. And actually, for 10 years, it’s been discussed in Iron County.
“Is this a bad time to raise taxes and build a jail? Absolutely. There’s never a good time to do things like this.”
However, Cozzens added, the issue can no longer be tabled. He listed four possible courses of action:
- Do nothing.
- Remodel the existing jail facility.
- Build a one-pod jail, capable of housing 336 inmates.
- Build a two-pod jail.
Architect Rob Cottle of Babcock Design addressed in detail the status of Iron County’s current facility, which was built in 1987.
“The reality is, is that in our experience, in the state of Utah, with Uintah County, Sanpete County, Kane County and with Iron County, by the time most communities bite the bullet and realize that they have no other choice but to build a new jail, the existing jail is in such a state of disrepair and noncompliance, that they really don’t have a choice,” Cottle said as he began his presentation.
“But nonetheless, we always evaluate the existing facility to make sure that our assumptions and what we hear about the facility are correct,” he added.
Cottle presented a detailed analysis of what a remodel of the current jail would entail and outlined various costly logistical challenges. He concluded that the remodel option would not be a “useful and reasonable use of taxpayer dollars.”
This facility is at the end of its useful lifespan. Can you remodel it? Yes, you can. Can you remodel it to the level that needs to be done to be a correctional facility, a county jail that meets all the standards (and) that lifts a large amount of liability from Iron County? You can, technically. But in our opinion, it’s not feasible from a cost perspective.
Also weighing in was Kane County Sheriff Tracy Glover, who discussed Kane County’s jail facility, which opened in 2011 and has a capacity of 200 inmates.
More than three-quarters of the beds are filled with state contract inmates, allowing it to generate revenue that more than offsets its operating expenses, Glover added.
“When we built our facility, the (county’s) general fund cost to operate the jail was about $500,000,” Glover said. “Which sounds crazy nowadays, but they still dump that same $500,000 or transfer it from the general fund into our jail fund, because they would have been paying that much money anyway. It’s not gone up in the 12 years we’ve been in that facility.
“I’ve never asked for any more money from the county,” Glover added. “And the rest of the cost of the facility, including the bond payment, have basically broke even. There’s been years we’ve been in red a little bit, there’s been years we’ve been in the black a little bit. But overall, in the course of 12 years, we’ve generated about $2 million in fund balance over that period of time that we kind of carry for a rainy day. So that’s how we do it.”
Also mentioned was Iron County’s neighbor to the north, Beaver County, whose jail generates even more revenue than Kane County’s does, to the tune of about $8 million a year.
“That runs their entire sheriff’s department … and puts $1.8 million back into the general fund to the county for other projects,” Bleak noted.
“The pros of having two pods is there’s plenty of room for future growth,” said Iron County Auditor Lucas Little, who noted that if the county were to build a two-pod jail, the facility could house 370-415 contract inmates, potentially generating between $7 million and $10.5 million in annual revenue.
“That would give us the ability to pay off the bond earlier and then provide revenue for future projects and have less tax increases,” Little added.
County estimates show an anticipated increase for the average taxpayer (with a home valued at approximately $400,000) of $119.04 per year for the one-pod option and $153.04 for the two-pod option.
The difference between the two options is $2.83 per month, which Cozzens noted is less than 1 gallon of gas per month. Cozzens said at the meeting that he initially favored a one-pod option, thinking that would be more amenable to voters. However, after further consideration, he sided with Bleak in backing the two-pod option.
“I don’t want to pay an extra bond,” Bleak said. “I don’t want my taxes to go up. But we’re really up against the wall as far as the need for this facility. It’s no longer a want. It’s not a luxury. We’re at a critical mass. “
Among the public commenters at the meeting was Wes Barton, who said he bought a small tractor for $10,000 in 2020, rather than spending more money on a larger one.
“And then this last year, I finally bought the tractor that I needed,” he said. “And instead of costing me the $18,000 that it would have in 2020, it cost me $30,000. And so, my opinion is if we have to do it, and it sounds like we do, I think we should do it right the first time.”
Another funding option discussed was that of a consumption tax, or essentially a sales tax increase. Rep. Rex Shipp said he plans to introduce a bill at the next session of the Legislature, which would permit counties to increase sales tax to help fund correctional facilities. If Iron County were to increase sales taxes by one-quarter of 1%, Shipp said, it could generate an estimated $3.6 million per year to be used toward the cost of a new jail and its operation.
If such a measure were to pass early next year, Shipp said, it could appear on the ballot for voter approval as early as November of 2024.
And while such a revenue stream would help in the future, it’s not viewed as an immediate solution to the county’s needs, Bleak said.
“Fundamentally, this is the strongest avenue for us to be able to provide financial stability to the county for years to come,” Bleak said of the proposal to issue general obligation bonds. “It’s literally the proven method that most entities in the state use to fund jails.”
Nevertheless, Bleak acknowledged it might be a tough sell for voters, especially with Iron County School District planning to ask on the very same ballot for approximately $75.5 million in bonds for infrastructure projects.
“I know that any bond that goes on the ballot, especially with the school district and everybody else, is an uphill battle,” Bleak said. “We may not get it. But you know what, it’s our job as commissioners and the county to educate our constituents.”
To watch the full Aug. 31 meeting on the Iron County Commission’s YouTube channel, click here.
Photo Gallery
Iron County Commissioners Mike Bleak and Paul Cozzens, with Kane County Sheriff Tracy Glover at right, speak during a meeting where jail funding options were discussed, Cedar City, Utah, Aug. 31, 2023 | Photo by Jeff Richards, St. George News / Cedar City News Architect Rob Cottle of Babcock Design talks about jail options during a special Iron County Commission meeting, Cedar City, Utah, Aug. 31, 2023 | Photo by Jeff Richards, St. George News / Cedar City News A schematic diagram of a two-pod jail option is shown during a presentation at a special Iron County Commission meeting, Cedar City, Utah, Aug. 31, 2023 | Photo by Jeff Richards, St. George News / Cedar City News The difference in estimated cost between a one-pod jail option vs. a two-pod option is highlighted during a presentation at a special Iron County Commission meeting, Cedar City, Utah, Aug. 31, 2023 | Photo by Jeff Richards, St. George News / Cedar City News The difference in estimated cost between a one-pod jail option vs. a two-pod option is highlighted during a presentation at a special Iron County Commission meeting, Cedar City, Utah, Aug. 31, 2023 | Photo by Jeff Richards, St. George News / Cedar City News The difference in estimated cost between a one-pod jail option vs. a two-pod option is highlighted during a presentation at a special Iron County Commission meeting, Cedar City, Utah, Aug. 31, 2023 | Photo by Jeff Richards, St. George News / Cedar City News The difference in estimated cost between a one-pod jail option vs. a two-pod option is highlighted during a presentation at a special Iron County Commission meeting, Cedar City, Utah, Aug. 31, 2023 | Photo by Jeff Richards, St. George News / Cedar City News Utah House Rep. Rex Shipp speaks during a special Iron County Commission meeting, Cedar City, Utah, Aug. 31, 2023 | Photo by Jeff Richards, St. George News / Cedar City News Approximately 30 people got up to provide input and comments during a special Iron County Commission meeting, Cedar City, Utah, Aug. 31, 2023 | Photo by Jeff Richards, St. George News / Cedar City News Officials welcome those in attendance to a special Iron County Commission meeting to discuss jail funding options, Cedar City, Utah, Aug. 31, 2023 | Photo by Jeff Richards, St. George News / Cedar City News
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