Oklahoma County District Attorney Vicki Zemp Behenna wants voters to approve a 0.4% sales tax to finish a new county jail. She estimates the current facility has cost taxpayers $4 million in civil rights lawsuits.

Behenna made the case at a town hall Tuesday, Oct. 13, reported by KOCO. A second town hall is set for 6 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 15, with the Greater Oklahoma City Chamber. The Tuesday, Nov. 3 ballot question asks voters to approve the tax for 25 years across Oklahoma County, with revenue estimated at about $70 million a year.

"We're paying for it one way or another. You're paying for it right now. With every death in the county jail, you're paying for the lawsuits that follow," Behenna said at the Tuesday event. She added that the county has spent close to $4 million on civil rights lawsuits, though she called the figure an estimate.

The coalition Home Base opposes the measure. Nathan Wiewel, a member of the group, said the county has not shown how spending close to $1 billion will improve public safety. He called the proposal "a clear no."

What the tax would fund

Voters approved $260 million in property tax-funded bonds in 2022 to build a new detention center at 1901 E. Grand Blvd. in southeast Oklahoma City, near Del City. That money covers phase one, about 400 beds. But the total project cost has grown to about $860 million, according to NonDoc.

The sales tax would cover the gap. Of the projected $70 million in annual revenue, about $44 million would go to debt service. The rest would fund jail operations, according to Citizens Bond Oversight Committee Chairman Steve Mason.

The finished facility would hold about 1,800 detainees. The current jail averages about 1,600 a day, according to county officials. About 84% of detainees have not been convicted and are awaiting trial, Behenna said at a separate public forum, News 9 reported.

NonDoc reported in August that 60 people had died at the jail since the Oklahoma County Criminal Justice Authority took over operations in July 2020.

A 60-bed behavioral health center funded by $44 million in federal money is set to open at the new site early next year.

Split among commissioners

The Board of County Commissioners voted 2-1 in August to place the measure on the ballot. District 2 Commissioner Brian Maughan sponsored the proposal, and Interim District 3 Commissioner Paul Foster voted in favor. District 1 Commissioner Jason Lowe voted against it, saying the plan puts too much emphasis on incarceration and not enough on rehabilitation, diversion and mental health services.

Oklahoma County is the only one of the state's 77 counties without a sales tax, according to Arnall Family Foundation program officer Perrin Duncan.

The Greater OKC Chamber announced its support for the tax at an Oct. 7 forum at The Petroleum Club in downtown Oklahoma City, according to Free Press OKC.

The Thursday, Oct. 15 town hall with the Chamber begins at 6 p.m. Voters can check the Chamber's website for location details ahead of the Nov. 3 election.