Southern Arizona county wants to tax residents to build new jail

In Cochise County, a rural, agricultural area located on the Arizona-Mexico border that spans over 6,000 miles, the main jail is falling apart. Built 40 years ago, the jail is outdated, not adequately staffed, and does not have enough resources to serve a growing inmate population with increasing mental health issues, according to officials.

An election on May 16, during which residents will vote on a half-cent sales tax to develop a jail district and build a new jail, could change that. But county residents want to know, where will the new jail be located.

Around the state, inmates' quality of life has taken center stage. Just a few weeks ago, a federal judge ordered major changes to fix ‘unconstitutional’ conditions in the state’s prisons.

And in January,  Gov. Katie Hobbs announced plans to create a commission to study problems in the state’s prison system from healthcare and staffing levels to conditions of facilities and access to nutrition. One reason the commission was created was because of the “urgent need to provide transparency and accountability of Arizona’s corrections system,” according to previous reporting by The Arizona Republic.

In Cochise County, residents will decide if they want a new jail. In just one month, voters will be asked if they want to pay a half-cent tax for 25 years to fund the acquisition, construction, operation, and maintenance of a county jail and jail system.

During several public forums in March and April, local officials and law enforcement described the decrepit jail in Bisbee: metal tubes running through hallways, major leaks and electrical failures, inmates sleeping on floors, officers’ desk in hallways, and more.

The county reiterated that one of its top priorities with the jail would be providing better medical and mental health services. Currently there is no infirmary in the jail, meaning it is not possible to give inmates 24-hour care if needed, or to medically supervise inmates that require more medical attention. For care, inmates are currently transported to the hospital.

Bradshaw said this is an issue because it takes officers out of the jail to provide 24-hour hospital duty.

The jail does have a medical clinic, but it is located in a 12-foot-by-14-foot room in what used to be a locker room. The size of the room impacts care, said Megan Kennedy, the Cochise County jail director of detention medical health services.

“We don’t have a way to properly monitor an individual who may be going through withdrawal, where they are housed close to medical, under camera with medical supervision,” she said.  “We don’t have an infirmary which would provide all this.”

The Bisbee jail is one of three in the county, while two temporary holding facilities are located in the surrounding areas: one in Sierra Vista — the county's most populated city — and one in Willcox.

The new jail is estimated to cost about $100 million, and the county wants to have enough staff and capacity for 24/7 mental health and medical support, as well as up to-date facilities that can hold 410 people.

Where will the jail be built?

In almost every public meeting, people have asked where the new facility will be built. A Palominas resident said if it was built in her town, she would be concerned about her property taxes.

The county’s answer: it doesn't know yet. Cochise County Sheriff Mark Dannels said the best option would be next to the current facility in Bisbee.

“One of the draws to having it in Bisbee besides being the county seat, it’s near the courts,” Dannels said, noting the longer it takes to transport inmates from the jail to the court, the higher the safety risk.

Jail Commander Kenny Bradshaw said keeping it in Bisbee also would alleviate issues with the not-in-my-backyard sentiment, or NIMBY.

Before deciding where to put the new jail, the county first needs funding to pay for feasibility studies as well as engineering and design bids.

Those are costly. The county estimates the studies to run up to $1.5 million.

“First and foremost, is we need the finances,” said County Administrator Rich Karwaczka at a meeting in Douglas. “Once that’s secured, then I can move forward to get those studies done.”

Karwaczka said he doesn’t want to waste taxpayers’ money for the studies if the tax for a jail district does not pass.

If the jail district vote passes, the next step will be conducting a feasibility study to decide where the best location for the jail will be. The information will then be presented to the Cochise County Board of Supervisors who will make the final decision.

Bradshaw said feasibility studies consider a variety of issues, some of which include population sizes of different towns, transportation from the jail to the courthouse and hospital; as well as where staff and detention officers will commute from.

More: Reformers applaud Hobbs' plans for an oversight commission for troubled Arizona prisons

Bisbee Mayor Ken Budge said he supports the jail staying in Bisbee but would also like more information about where the jail will be built before it comes down to a vote.

“I want the jail. I think it is absolutely necessary,” he said.

He noted while other communities are likely to have a heavy NIMBY sentiment, Bisbee will not.

“We will honor that jail … It is only smart to put it where it already is. It is already here,” Budge said.

Why is the jail needed?

Bradshaw said the 40-year-old jail was built improperly , including the quality of construction — such as the lack of a rebar among other things — and the co-location of the boiler room and the electrical panels, which causes frequent power outages, as well as a lack of medical offices, to name just a few.

The facility also lacks up-to-date security systems, and was built with a lack of consideration for the safety of staff.

Inmates also have difficulties speaking to their attorneys through video conferencing. The county said this issue became apparent during the pandemic as the space used for video conferencing was not designed for it: The sound quality is poor and there is a lack of privacy.

“Our officer stations are desks thrown into a hallway,” Bradshaw said. “Our infrastructure is horrible.”

The inmate population has more than doubled since the jail was built. The capacity was meant to hold 168 inmates but has most recently housed more than 300. In the fall of 2022, the jail held up to 336 inmates, according to the county.

“That means that we had people on the floor. That’s never a good thing” Bradshaw said. “At about 260, our classification process begins to break down.”

The classification process is how inmates are separated based on their charges, past history and behavioral issues.  If the classification process breaks down, someone jailed for drinking and driving and held for 24 hours might have to share a pod with someone arrested for a violent crime.

The jail also faces expensive maintenance and repair and operational costs.

Last summer, the county had to run its jail on a cable that ran half a mile toward Highway 80 to an electrical substation when it suffered a massive electrical failure, Bradshaw said.

The county worked to secure other funding source for the jail

The half-cent sales tax is estimated to amount to $8.5 million a year for 25 years. It will help pay back bond debt obligation for construction costs, increase staffing and operations to include 24/7 jail medical services and reserves for when revenues are insufficient to meet jail expenses.

Other funding sources will include $5.4 million annually from the county, which is state mandated to contribute, as well as $20 million from the state to help offset costs. The county has until 2027 to find enough funding for the jail, or the federal money will go away. The county said it will continue to lobby for funding in the future.

When is the deadline to vote?

Early voting will take place between April 19, when ballots are mailed out, and May 15. During that time, completed ballots can be mailed or dropped off at the main ballot boxes between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m.

On the day of the election, May 16, ballots can be dropped off between 6 a.m. to 7p.m.

Ballot box locations for early voting

Cochise County Recorder’s office in Bisbee: 1415 Melody Lane, Building B

Benson County Service Center: 126 W. 5th St.

Douglas County Service Center: 1012 N. G Ave.

Sierra Vista County Service Center: 4001 E. Foothills Drive

Willcox County Service Center: 450 S. Haskell Ave.

Ballot box locations on Election Day open from 6 a.m. to 7 p.m.

Cochise County Recorder’s Office in Bisbee : 1415 Melody Lane, Building B

Service Center in Sierra Vista: 4001 E. Foothills Drive

Cochise County Service Center in Willcox: 450 S. Haskell Ave.

Coverage of southern Arizona on azcentral.com and in The Arizona Republic is funded by the nonprofit Report for America in association with The Republic.

Reach the reporter at sarah.lapidus@gannett.com.

This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Southern Arizona county wants to tax residents to build new jail