Jonesboro, AR – (JonesboroRightNow.com) – Nov. 4, 2024 – Craighead County voters struck down a 0.5% temporary sales tax that would have funded up to $105 million in capital bonds for the expansion and/or construction of a new Craighead County jail. The measure failed by over 3,800 votes.

52.21% voted against the tax, while 41.90% voted for it.

Craighead County Sheriff Marty Boyd brought the measure before Quorum Court members in May. He proposed the new facility in response to the jail being overcrowded. The building can hold a maximum of 360 inmates, although Boyd has said they typically have over 400. The facility, built in 1990, was originally designed to accommodate 130 inmates.

“I’ve been in the jail business for forty years. I know how a jail runs. We needed a new jail. Obviously, I’m disappointed,” Boyd said. “We are absolutely overcrowded so we’ll have to look at some short-term solutions. We are looking at having to lease space in other area jails who may have room to accommodate some of our prisoners. Transporting prisoners back and forth will be costly and will take deputies off patrol.”

Iris Stevens, coordinator of Citizens Taxed Enough, an organization against the sales tax, said while the group agreed that a new jail was needed, they needed a specific plan on how the money was to be used.

“What they really asked for was a $105 million blank check,” Stevens said. “That’s not respecting taxpayers. Come to us with a plan so that we know what we’re spending our money on, I think it would probably pass. But there’s several problems there that need to be worked out.”

Boyd said it was his idea not to spend the money to seek architect and engineering plans. “We were looking at a $200,000 cost for design work,” Boyd said. “I just couldn’t see spending that money on a question. I thought we were being good stewards of taxpayer money asking voters to let us have permission to spend up to $105 million without spending the design money first.”

Boyd said he doesn’t expect to try another vote anytime soon. “I’ll meet with the county judge and the quorum court, and we’ll talk about the next step,” Boyd said. “I think we’ll probably look at building some sort of expansion at the current jail to give us more capacity, but I believe that’s a short-term solution.”

“The voters have spoken,” Boyd said. “I think if we come back with another vote at some point, we’ll come back with a more detailed plan of what we want to do.”

Trey Stafford contributed to this report.