Boone County Sheriff’s Office unlikely to push for another jail ballot measure after Prop L fails
COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)
Boone County Sheriff Dwayne Carey said Wednesday when early results came back for Tuesday's election, he was surprised voters rebuked Proposition L.
Prop L was a proposed 3/8 cent sales tax to pay for a new Boone County Jail that would have expired in 2042. Nearly 60% of voters said "no" to the measure on Tuesday.
"Our canvassing had indicated that we were doing really well. And so I was kind of surprised by that. And then, of course, when I saw the second numbers, I knew that it was over and that it wasn't going to pass," Carey said.
Carey said that a variety of factors could have led voters to vote "no," saying the sheriff's office worked hard during the past three months, but in the end it was up to the voters.
"But at the end of the day, I mean, it didn't pass. And so, you know, my job then is to move the agency forward," Carey said.
Carey told ABC 17 News that since Prop L did not pass, the department will be looking at other solutions to address overcrowding; but he claimed while he is sheriff, the department will not push for another proposition about the jail.
"The jail administrator is calling every jail in the state of Missouri just to check beds. So some of those, obviously, we're not using now, but this problem is not going to go away," Carey said.
John Amick, a member of the group opposing Prop L, "No New Jail," said the measure failing is an important step in the right direction. He added that since the topic has eyes, discussion on other issues surrounding incarceration can move forward.
"Public officials have a chance now. An opportunity to engage the public about the overcrowding issue and address actual ways to help public safety, rather than imperiling public safety by expanding incarceration so drastically," Amick said.
One of those issues, Amick says, is addressing possible changes to the cash-bail system.
"So the county has an opportunity to address the cash-bail system, which traps people in the jail for long periods of time because they can't afford to bond," Amick said. "They have ways to address root causes of poverty and other aspects of life in one county that lead people to jail. They have all kinds of ways to be creative right now and address the public and take this seriously rather than just throwing a tax hike at everyone."
