Commissioners postpone ballot measure on jail tax

By Dan MacArthur
North Forty News

Larimer County commissioners will wait until next fall before asking voters to finance more fixes in the increasingly costly criminal justice system.

In the meantime, the county will continue seeking out interim measures while working to refine a presentable package of proposals to take to ballot in 2006.

"The biggest bottom line we're trying to do here is not build jail cells," said county manager Frank Lancaster.

In keeping with that goal, the commissioners and county staff met July 21 to get rolling on one of the most promising stop-gaps that could "buy" as much as two years of breathing room.

Facilities director Dave Spencer enthusiastically described a proposal to ease pressure on the jail by building a $4.5 million, 150-bed addition to the community corrections facility. He estimated that the addition could be completed within 12 to 14 months, providing housing for people in several different programs.

Spencer calculated that such a facility would free up as many as 100 high-security beds in the crowded jail. It would house less-serious offenders awaiting space in the community corrections and alternative sentencing programs, as well as two state-funded special-population programs for women and drug and alcohol abusers.

And, best of all, Spencer said, it appears the addition could be financed with reserves set aside by the community correction program and fees paid by users. Officials were scheduled to meet the following week to more accurately identify potential funding sources.

"From a big-picture perspective, I do think it's the right thing to do," Spencer said.

The commissioners present, Kathay Rennels and Karen Wagner, agreed and urged officials to search for similar short-term solutions until they can cobble together a more comprehensive plan to take to voters next November.

The commissioners accepted that recommendation arising from a joint meeting of the citizens and technical advisory task force on July 13. While acknowledging that the criminal justice funding crisis is growing ever graver, the groups agreed that the time is not right to seek a tax increase this fall.

First, they noted that there is relatively little time to make their case before the November election. But perhaps even more importantly, it was apparent there was little agreement, even among the members, on the best approach for dealing with the problem.

But there was complete consensus that the funding problem for criminal justice is real and that the county must make a compelling case to voters before it becomes a crisis.

"The only reason it isn't a crisis right now is we have a small reserve," said budget manager Bob Keister. That surplus, he said, will be depleted by 2008 and this year's $1 million funding gap will grow to a nearly $15 million annual shortfall by 2015 - an amount equal to what the county now spends for the entire health department and road and bridge budgets.

"We need to have something in place by 2007-2008," Keister said. "We need to make some sort of corrective action to deal with it."