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Residents fault handling of Cochise County jail-tax election, raise transparency and spending concerns
Summary
Two residents at the Cochise County Jail District meeting criticized how a prior jail-district election was handled, disputed use of collected excise-tax revenue, and requested earlier posting of meeting documents; speakers referenced attorney and planning costs and a court ruling that required an election redo.
Allison Morse, a Portal resident, told the Cochise County Jail District Board of Directors on Sept. 2 that she is not “necessarily opposed to a new jail” but criticized how a prior jail-district election was handled. Morse said former election director and recorder David Stevens was responsible for the May 2023 election and that a court later ruled in favor of the plaintiff challenging that vote.
Morse said the county incurred extensive legal and consultant costs related to the contested election. “It was Mr. Stevens' obligation to ensure that all eligible voters received a publicity pamphlet and mail-in ballot,” she said, and added that the county subsequently paid “two different attorneys for over $60,000, paying Mr. Lechants $130,000, and forking out upwards of $150,000 to Chin Planning,” as well as more than $26,000 to High Ground for publicity. She estimated the contested election “easily cost taxpayers half a million dollars” and said roughly “between $13 and $14 million” remains from revenues the district has collected, according to her statement.
Tricia Jeradette, another resident who spoke during public comment, asked whether a planning contract listed later on the agenda would be paid from funds already collected by the jail excise tax. “If we hadn't had a prior election and hadn't collected some funds, which have been frozen, would we now have to be paying that planning contract out of general funds?” she asked.
A member of the board also encouraged residents to attend a series of town halls on the jail proposal being held by county staff, some supervisors and the sheriff's office; locations mentioned included Elfrida, SunSites, Wilcox and Benson. The board did not take formal action on the election-related claims during the meeting.
Morse also requested that all documents pertinent to board meetings be attached to the agenda before meetings, rather than posted afterward. She said constituents “should not have to continually ask for this and wait for days or weeks to see relevant information posted publicly.”
