Where will the New Cochise County Jail be built?
The citizens of Cochise County are going to vote on a proposed half-cent sales tax to support a Jail District. This is a May 16th, all-mail election with a Yes or No question.
One of the hot topics is where will the jail be built?
In a Town Hall meeting about the Jail District on April 5th, Sheriff Dannels said. “I know the Mayor of Bisbee has welcomed the jail for many years as well as his predecessors, and they still want it down there. That is the County Seat; that’s also where our courts are at, the Superior Courts. So that’s a reasonable spot to go back to.”
The Cochise County Board of Supervisors will make the final decision. There will be studies made if the Jail District passes. These will assess the variables for the entire county, such as population, drive times for Law Enforcement, Officer and inmate safety and more. For example, Douglas, Arizona, is about to get an upgraded port of entry that could change the dynamics of the population of the County. According to Richard Karwazcka, the Cochise County Administrator, these studies are expensive, and if the County spent that money now and the Jail District doesn't pass, that tax money would have been spent for nothing.
Commander Bradshaw (The Cochise County Jail Commander) invites any civic, nonprofit, or government organization to set up a tour and see the state of the jail for yourself. You can call the Cochise County Sheriff’s Office at (520) 432-9500
The Town hall meetings, as well as previous meetings, can be found on the Cochise County website https://www.cochise.az.gov/864/Cochise-County-Jail-District including pictures and voting dates and locations. Slides from the presentation are below for you to follow along.
Ballots are mailed out to all registered voters on April 19th, 2023, and must be returned by May 16th, 2023. This is an all-mail election.