SCOTT OFFICIALS PONDER ANTI-TAX VOTE ON NEW JAIL

BENTON -- Scott County officials won't immediately ask voters again for additional taxes to provide more law enforcement services and build a new jail.

The proposals for two quarter-cent sales tax increases received 42.7 and 43.1 percent of Tuesday's vote.

Sheriff Bill Ferrell is against bringing the issues immediately back to the voters and "driving and driving it" until it's passed.

He thinks Tuesday's results showed an "anti-tax" attitude among voters.

Presiding Commissioner Bob Kielhofner of Scott City and Associate Commissioner Joe Spalding of Benton plan to set up a meeting with the county judges, sheriff, prosecuting attorney and the citizens committee that promoted the issues to discuss the next steps to meet the county's law enforcement needs.

With the campaign, Kielhofner thinks county residents are better informed about the jail being filled to capacity and the need for more resources to deal with a growing number of criminals in the law enforcement system.

"We made some nice in-roads into the mind-set that the county can get along with the current situation," Kielhofner said, adding that his visits with area service clubs during the campaign helped to spread the message.

He thinks area residents are used to the county getting by without asking for more money, operating without excess funds, having shoe boxes for offices and buildings that need extensive repairs.

Kielhofner, who took over as presiding commissioner in January after serving 24 years as county clerk, said he knew asking for about $5 million to build a new jail was a "big deal."

He said voters may expect their schools to ask for millions of dollars on building projects, but they are not used to the county having to do that.

As to some of the reasons why residents voted against the issues,

Kielhofner attributes the issues' defeat to voters having concerns about income taxes at this time of year and to a lack of time to present the issues.

The law enforcement tax measures were put on the ballot in February.

He said more details on the proposed jail and a sunset clause on the sales tax might have helped with some voters.

Kielhofner thinks several voters may have misunderstood that the proposals were property tax increases instead of sales taxes.

At least the sales tax issues fared better than the proposed property tax increase of 10 cents to fund mental health services, which only drew 34.4 percent of the vote, he said.

Wayne Landis, a Scott City resident who owns the County Seat Restaurant in Benton, said he heard several area residents talk about supporting a new jail, but not wanting to pay more taxes.

Landis thinks a more detailed jail plan would help if the issue is on the ballot again.

Voters will support building a new jail if the proposed tax has a sunset clause, he said.

Both Ferrell and Kielhofner said the jail and sheriff's office will need extensive remodeling to meet the requirements of the American with Disabilities Act.

The county doesn't have the funds for the construction costs, Kielhofner said.

The county is still interested in buying the Scott County Health Center as a possible sheriff's office, even though that probably would have been part of a new jail facility, he added.

County commissioners intend to back the offer on the health center of $120,000, Kielhofner said.

"We can't do anything without voter approval," Kielhofner said. "And we can't increase law enforcement services without some additional money. We'll go back to work with the tools that we have and do the best we can."