logo
Two Arkansas counties consider jail sales tax proposals in Tuesday's special elections

Two Arkansas counties consider jail sales tax proposals in Tuesday's special elections

Yahoo13-05-2025

Washington County voters wait in line to cast their ballot shortly after a Springdale Civic Center polling site opened on Election Day, Nov. 5, 2024. (Antoinette Grajeda/Arkansas Advocate)
The focus on funding facilities for Arkansas prisoners shifts from the state to the counties this week as voters in Madison and Pope counties consider sales tax and bond proposals in special elections Tuesday.
Madison County voters are considering adopting a 1% sales tax for operation and maintenance of a new county jail that's scheduled to be complete in June. Meanwhile, Pope County voters are being asked to approve an $89.9 million bond issue to build a new county jail and 911 call center, and a 0.75% sales tax to pay off the bond debt.
During the 2025 legislative session that adjourned last week, lawmakers rejected a $750 million appropriation bill to fund construction of a 3,000-bed prison in Franklin County that supporters, including the governor, have said is needed to alleviate crowding in county jails, several of which are holding state inmates due to a lack of prison space.
Arkansas lawmakers consider other funding methods as they abandon sixth prison appropriation vote
Because Madison County only has a 24-hour holding facility, County Judge Larry Garrett said they ship prisoners to other counties, some as far away as Lafayette County in southeast Arkansas.
'We're hauling prisoners outside the county to be housed in other county jails and that has become very difficult,' he said. 'Every jail is overcrowded and nowhere to go with them.'
Garrett estimated 50-60 Madison County prisoners are housed around the state, which costs the county $45-$70 a day per person. The lack of a jail is also costing Madison County manpower, especially on long hauls to Lafayette County, which Garrett said takes two deputies off the street for 12 hours.
An effort to build a jail has been ongoing for years, according to The Madison County Record. Ballot measures to support construction of a county jail failed in 2008, 2013 and 2014. In 2022, a construction tax passed, but a 1.25% maintenance and operation tax failed by about 200 votes. A 1% maintenance tax failed by 40 votes last November.
Because he knew they 'can only do it once,' Garrett said they tried to build for the future and used $16 million to construct a 148-bed jail, though he doesn't expect the facility to open at full capacity immediately. Garrett estimated it would cost $1.9 million to return prisoners currently housed around the state to Madison County, which he said they can't afford right now.
If voters approve the maintenance and operation tax Tuesday, Garrett said it will help run the new jail, which he estimated will cost around $2.5 million to operate annually. That would include the cost of food and medical services and the salaries of employees, which Garrett said would be around 15 people at full staff.
Local officials have hosted town halls and tours of the new jail, the latter of which Garrett said was 'very positive,' though he said he's not sure how that will translate at the ballot box.
'I think everybody wants a jail because we don't have one and they know that the criminals are getting turned loose,' he said. 'They want a jail, they just don't want to have to pay to run it.'
Garrett said he understands the aversion to more taxes, but noted that everyone who purchases something in the county like gas or fast food will pay the sales tax, not just local residents. Additionally, he said the City of Huntsville sunset a 1-cent sales tax last year, so the jail's maintenance and operation tax would basically take the place of that.
In Pope County, officials have also hosted town halls to inform local voters about the proposed three-quarter-cent sales tax to construct, operate and maintain a new jail and 911 call center. New facilities are needed because the county's population has doubled since construction of the current jail in 1981, Pope County Judge Ben Cross said.
County officials started the year with 11,000 active misdemeanor warrants, but because of overcrowding, the current 172-bed jail is only being used to hold felons and people who've committed violent misdemeanors like domestic violence, Cross said.
If officials receive approval from voters Tuesday, Cross said the county owns 26 acres north of Exit 83 along I-40 where the new facility can be built. Because 'you get more bang for your buck,' officials would construct one building that would house a 400-bed jail and 911 center, as well as the county's sheriff's office and office of emergency management, he said.
The acreage would provide space to expand in the future, and the tax, which wouldn't sunset, would provide a revenue source to continue operating the facility, Cross said.
'You can't put a price on public safety, and that's one reason this is not a sunset tax because you have to have that money for generations to come to operate a facility like this,' he said. 'If you sunsetted it and you built this facility, then you don't have money to maintain and operate it. Somewhere in the future you're kicking that can down the road.'
The special elections in Madison and Pope counties are two of the elections taking place around the state Tuesday. The University of Arkansas Division of Agriculture's Cooperative Extension Service has a list of elections on its website.
You can also check your voter registration, and find polling locations and sample ballots here.
SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX

Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Wright pledges to back DOE loan office for nuclear
Wright pledges to back DOE loan office for nuclear

Axios

time5 hours ago

  • Axios

Wright pledges to back DOE loan office for nuclear

Energy Secretary Chris Wright told lawmakers on Tuesday he supports keeping the Loan Programs Office open for business for nuclear power. Why it matters: The House GOP's reconciliation budget proposes to eliminate unused IRA loan funding, though the DOE's budget proposal includes funding to keep the loan office open. "I do think it's a helpful tool to launch nuclear energy, which is why we're requesting money to do just that," Wright told the House Energy and Commerce Committee. Wright also told an audience on Monday that he's working with Congress to maintain a level of funding for LPO for transmission projects. What they're saying: Rep. Bob Latta, chair of E&C's energy subcommittee, agreed with Wright's assessment of LPO. "This level of government subsidy is irresponsible and unsustainable, focused on misguided priorities and was often done to the detriment of free markets and private enterprise," Latta said. Between the lines: Wright's vision for LPO will likely be diminished compared with the Biden administration's dramatic expansion. In fact, former President Biden's flurry of post-Election Day loan approvals are coming under scrutiny, Wright said. The agency's review of the DOE awards had uncovered "deeply concerning" decisions that were made "without proper due diligence," Wright said. Friction point: Some Democrats pressed Wright to tell Republicans to pull back proposed cuts in the reconciliation bill. "It looks like you and I agree on at least one issue, and that is that nuclear energy is worth investing in and that the Loan Programs Office has an important role to play," E&C ranking Democrat Frank Pallone said. Pallone cited South Carolina's Republican Gov. Henry McMaster's letter to lawmakers that the DOE loan authority and nuclear tax credits are essential to restarting a nuclear plant there. What's next: Speaker Mike Johnson and House Appropriations Chair Tom Cole met with the subcommittee chairs last week about spending priorities.

Opelika readies for August 26 election for Mayor, City Council
Opelika readies for August 26 election for Mayor, City Council

Yahoo

time5 hours ago

  • Yahoo

Opelika readies for August 26 election for Mayor, City Council

OPELIKA, Ala. () — Opelika residents will head to the polls Tuesday, August 26, 2025, to elect their next mayor and city council. Voters will choose council members for seats 1 through 5, as well as the city's top leadership role. According to the city's official notice, all registered voters who have lived within Opelika's corporate limits for at least 30 days prior to the election and are qualified to vote in their county precinct are eligible to participate. Polls will be open from 7:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. at the following locations: • Ward 1 – Covington Community Center, 213 Carver Avenue • Ward 2 – Opelika Learning Center, 214 Jeter Avenue • Ward 3 – Opelika Community Center, 1102 Denson Drive • Ward 4 – EAMC Education Center, 2027 Pepperell Parkway • Ward 5 – Opelika Sportsplex, 1001 Andrews Road • Absentee Ballot Box – Opelika City Clerk's Office, 204 South 7th Street Those interested in running for office must have lived in the city—or in the appropriate district, if applicable—for at least 90 days as of Election Day. Candidates must file the necessary forms and fees in accordance with Alabama law. If a runoff is needed, it will be held Tuesday, September 23, 2025. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

Special election nears to fill Raúl Grijalva's seat in Congress. What to know
Special election nears to fill Raúl Grijalva's seat in Congress. What to know

Yahoo

time6 hours ago

  • Yahoo

Special election nears to fill Raúl Grijalva's seat in Congress. What to know

The deadline is June 16 to register to vote in the special primary election in Arizona's 7th Congressional District. Two days later, early voting begins. Candidates are running to fill the vacant seat of the late U.S. Rep. Raúl Grijalva. Unapologetically liberal and often blunt, Grijalva, D-Ariz., was a fixture of Tucson politics, first as a school board member in the 1970s, then as a Pima County supervisor in the 1990s. Grijalva was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives in 2002 and went on to serve 11 full terms, making him one of the longest-tenured members in Arizona's history. Here's what voters in the sprawling southwestern Arizona district need to know. U.S. Rep. Raúl Grijalva died March 13, triggering the need for a special election to fill the remainder of his two-year term. The special primary election is July 15. The general election is scheduled for Sept. 23. Five Democrats and three Republicans are on the ballot. The Democrats are Deja Foxx, a progressive activist; Adelita Grijalva, a former member of the Pima County Board of Supervisors and the daughter of Rep. Grijalva; Patrick Harris Sr., an innovator; former state Rep. Daniel Hernandez; and Jose Malvido Jr., a social activist and organizer with an emphasis on indigenous rights. The five participated in a debate June 10. On the Republican ticket are Daniel Francis Butierez Sr., who runs his own painting company; Jorge Rivas, a restaurateur; and Jimmy Rodriguez, who has a background in construction and automotive electronics. The three participated in a debate June 9. CD7 covers parts of six of Arizona's 15 counties. The heaviest concentration is in Pima and Yuma counties, with smaller parts of Cochise, Maricopa, Pinal and Santa Cruz counties also within CD7 boundaries. To find out if you are eligible to vote in the CD7 primary, the Arizona Secretary of State provides a one-stop list of every county recorder in the state. Go to to find your county recorder and check if you are eligible to vote in the July 15 election. If you are not registered, you can do so through your county recorder or at The deadline to register to vote for the primary is election is June 16. Voters can start casting their ballots by mail or at early voting stations on June 18. The deadline to request a ballot is July 7. Several counties have drop boxes. Pima County offers two locations in Tucson that will be available 24 hours a day, from June 18 through Election Day July 15. Find them at the downtown recorder's office, 240 N. Stone Ave., as well as at the east-side office, 6920 E. Broadway Blvd. Pinal County offers a list of all early voting sites and drop box locations. Find it at For early voting sites and drop boxes in the other four counties, contact that county directly. The Arizona Citizens Clean Election Commission also provides an overview of voting information and contact numbers. After the July 15 election, the winning Democratic and Republican candidates will advance to the Sept. 23 general election. Early voting for that election will begin Aug. 27 across the entire district. Reach the reporter at or at 602-228-7566 and follow her on social media @maryjpitzl. . Subscribe to today. This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Arizona special election to fill Raúl Grijalva's seat. What to know

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into the world of global news and events? Download our app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store