Cochise County officials outline $100 million jail plan, ask voters to approve half‑cent sales tax

Cochise County supervisors, the sheriff and county justice officials detailed a plan to build a new county jail financed by a $100 million bond and a half‑cent county sales tax that would restart if voters approve it in November.

Supervisor Frank Antsmar, speaking at a Sierra Vista town hall, said the existing jail — built in 1986 and expanded without full remodeling — does not meet modern standards for inmate or officer safety. “It’s time. We have to come together as a community to do this,” Antsmar said, urging voters to support the funding plan.

The proposal as described by county staff and law‑enforcement officials calls for bonding $100 million to cover construction, plus about $10 million in design and site costs, with an anticipated 20 percent state match that county officials described as roughly $20 million. Officials said about $14 million already sits in an isolated account derived from a prior half‑cent tax. The county plans a 15‑year bond but said it will attempt to accelerate principal payments so the debt could be retired in about 10 years if revenues permit.

Why it matters: County leaders said the present jail’s condition creates safety, health and liability risks and that a new facility would improve capacity for medical and mental‑health care, reduce inmate transports and lower operating costs over time. County Attorney Laurie Zuko described the jail as a “temporary detention facility” where modern space for medical care and for pretrial processing can reduce lengths of stay and save taxpayer dollars.

Project scope and cost: County officials said the physical plant is budgeted in…