Cochise County officials review bond sizes, sales tax plan and ballot language for proposed jail project

Cochise County supervisors and their finance advisers reviewed bond structures, revenue projections and draft ballot language Thursday as they continue planning a voter‑approved sales tax and revenue bonds to pay for a new county jail.

The discussion focused on how large a bond issue the county would need if final construction costs settle around $120 million to $130 million, how much a half‑cent transaction privilege (sales) tax would likely raise, and amortization options that would affect annual debt service and the county budget.

Mark Reeder, managing director at Stifel Public Finance, told the board the county could raise capital through Cochise County Jail District revenue bonds and recommended modeling multiple scenarios. “If the tax passes, we have a revenue stream by which to complete the construction of our jail,” Reeder said. He and his team used a working assumption that a half‑cent sales tax would generate about $10,000,000 annually and that the county’s maintenance‑of‑effort contribution would be roughly $6,300,000, producing roughly $16,300,000 of pledged revenue for investors.

Reeder said the county’s construction budget remained a…