Clark County Council urged to wait until November to ask voters for money for jail expansion, additional deputies

Clark County should wait until the November general election to ask voters to fund hundreds of millions of dollars in local criminal justice staffing needs and a jail remodel, the county manager advised councilors on Wednesday.

County councilors heard during two meetings Wednesday about possible approaches to ballot measures, including a bond, an increase in the public safety sales tax, a new juvenile detention and jails sales tax, or a levy lid lift. County officials said in order to fund the $471 million jail expansion project, along with a request from the Clark County sheriff for 90 additional deputies and subsequent staffing across the court system, the county will likely need to seek a combination of multiple tax measures.

Councilors say funding is a challenge, but they support the jail remodel project, as well as boosting staffing across the justice system. County Manager Kathleen Otto reminded the council Wednesday the county is also facing a $10 million structural deficit.

Otto recommended the council not rush to place funding measures on the August ballot — unless the county learns that the city of Vancouver intends to place its measure on that ballot. City officials have said they intend to return to voters to ask for funding for 80 new Vancouver police officers, along with 36 nonsworn staffers, after a previous attempt failed on last November’s ballot.

Otto said she’s been in touch with Vancouver City Manager Lon Pluckhahn about how they can best collaborate. Although city officials are still working on the timing of their own measure, Otto said she’d be surprised if it was ready for the August ballot.

“In an ideal world, every city and every county would stand together, because this is a countywide concern and should be a united front,” Otto said.

Otto said she felt the council should wait to see the outcome of several funding bills working through the state Legislature, and she was wary of competing with a library measure set for the August ballot.

“I don’t think it’s going to be successful,” Otto said of any August ballot measure. “And we haven’t been out in the community talking, because part of all this is an intentional public relations campaign to educate and to hear what the residents think.”

Otto said she’ll likely put the issue on the agenda again next week for councilors to consider providing direction on timing and specifics of any ballot measures.