Tax hike not needed to reduce jail overcrowding

When elected leadership bands together and puts forward an initiative, the community should be able to trust that all of the due diligence has been performed to look out for the best interests of everyone. Unfortunately, that has not been done with the jail sales tax before you.

Consider the following: Do you know that incarceration will be Benton County’s single largest financial commitment?

The sheriff and jail cost close to $30 million annually. The next biggest budget item is roads — at $14.6 million out of a total general revenue budget of $56.4 million. There are policies and procedures in our criminal system that Benton County can implement now that will flip those budgets. You likely know of roads or bridges that need attention. If approved, the combined annual sheriff/jail budget will likely exceed $50-$60 million, as much as the county’s entire general revenue budget today.

Do you want to support rewarding the single most inefficient arm of our government ( by spending $30 million of cash on hand for an extravagant courts’ complex) even though you said no to this issue in a recent election, because judges each want their own courtroom even though the courtrooms stand empty a substantial period of time?

Do you approve of the Quorum Court’s “bait and switch” tactic to, on the one hand, say we have a “current jail overcrowding” issue, but then propose a solution to build a massive complex that will take a full three years before the first new jail bed is available?

The county has reserves that could address this temporary issue — so why are you being asked to spend more now in the face of higher housing, utilities, insurance and groceries?

Do you want everything your family buys to be more expensive?

This would include groceries and necessities. Despite being the most regressive type of tax there is — with the most harmful impacts for those with limited and fixed incomes, those with less means will feel more of this burden.

Do you find it acceptable that our government leaders have decided they want a monument built, even though the jail expert they hired told them not to rely on population trends alone in making their decision?

The jail consultant recommended an assessment. They chose not to make this assessment. Do you fully know what options are available? We do not because they weren’t pursued.

Do you believe people are guilty upon arrest and their punishment should start immediately? Over 60% of current beds are occupied by pretrial detainees (persons who are “charged” but are constitutionally presumed innocent). Their poverty keeps them in custody as there are bails set — yet they lack the means to purchase their freedom.

Do you want to be financially responsible for providing housing, meals and medical care for all pretrial detainees, when they could be released on “conditions of release” (and be responsible for their own living expenses) since once bail is set a judge has already determined they are not a flight risk or threat to the community?

Do you know that the county has not entertained greatly expanding Drug Court even though our Attorney General, Leslie Rutledge, agrees that drug courts are a proven process to reduce recidivism, results in real recovery for those caught up in substance abuse and reduces rates of incarceration? Yes, we have a Drug Court, but it can be a larger piece of reducing recidivism if expanded.

Benton County is growing, certainly, but that does not equal the huge increase in crime that you hear the prosecutor, judges and others using as the reason we must build a giant new jail. The population in Benton County in the past five years was up 14% while charges were down 9% during the same period. Policy and what we criminalize drives this (not population) and the data proves this out here and in other areas.

Do you support a gargantuan increase in the size of our county government and its desire to collect a permanent sales tax from you that will likely produce more money than actually needed to operate the expanded facility?

Benton County voters were given few choices to solve for the overincarceration in the jail: One tax to build a sheriff’s office and jail expansion, plus a permanent sales tax to operate the facility all paid by taxpayers.

If you said no to any of these questions, make plans to vote “no” on both jail sales tax ballot initiatives.

The county has reserves that could address this temporary issue — so why are you being asked to spend more now in the face of higher housing, utilities, insurance and groceries?