Marion County court adopts ordinance calling Nov. 18, 2025 election on half‑cent sales tax for jail and law enforcement

Marion County court voted to adopt an ordinance Monday to call a special election on Nov. 18, 2025, asking voters whether to approve a half‑cent countywide sales and use tax to fund the county jail and law enforcement. The ordinance states that, if approved by voters, the tax would take effect on April 1, 2026.

The measure was presented to the court by Sarah Giamo, who identified herself as an attorney. "I have before you two ordinances tonight. The one is an ordinance levying a half cent sales and use tax, for jail and law enforcement purposes, and the ordinance is calling an election on the levy of that tax," Giamo said during her presentation. She described the process the court would use to read the ordinance, suspend the usual three‑reading rule and take a roll‑call vote.

The court suspended the rules and voted to place the ordinance on its final reading by title and to adopt it in the same meeting. The roll call produced a majority in favor and the court approved the ordinance to call the special election. The motion to adopt the ordinance was recorded as approved.

During discussion, a resident asked about the cost and funding for the special election. The speaker asked, "How is this going to be funded, and, what's the cost?" and said a contact had "guesstimated at this time between $2,830,000 dollars," adding that school election costs previously budgeted would be reimbursed to the county. Court members and staff discussed reimbursement and budget coverage; court members said existing budgets and reimbursements should cover anticipated special‑election expenses but that they would return to the court if unforeseen costs required appropriations.

The ordinance includes administrative provisions requiring publication of a proclamation in a newspaper of general circulation within the county and directs that a copy of the adopted ordinance be provided to the state commissioner of revenues. The ordinance text, as read to the court, references an "authorization authorizing legislation" that grants the county authority to levy a countywide sales and use tax; the ordinance lists a range of possible rate increments and specifies that net collections, after administrative charges and required rebates, will be distributed to the county and used for jail and law‑enforcement purposes.

This action calls for a public vote; the court did not appropriate spending for the tax itself. The court recorded the adoption of the ordinance calling the election and directed staff to carry out the publication and filing steps described in the ordinance.

Court action and discussion occurred during the meeting agenda item introducing the ordinances; public comment on funding and related concerns occurred during the same item.