Grant County Council adopts 0.2% local income tax to fund correctional facility

Grant County — The Grant County Council voted unanimously to adopt a 0.2 percentage-point local option income tax to fund a correctional and rehabilitation facility, the council announced at its regular meeting. The tax is slated to take effect Jan. 1, 2026, and council members estimated it would raise roughly $3 million in 2026.

Council members opened a public hearing on the proposed change, which was advertised in local newspapers. A council member described the increase as a way to begin accumulating funds so the county can act when a final project scope and cost are determined. “We may put this in place and not agree on something this January or maybe we’re gonna delay it for some time,” a council member said during debate, urging that a revenue stream be ready if a project is approved.

Public commenters urged caution. Michael Duke, who said he studied criminal justice and corrections, asked the council to determine the root causes of the jail population increase before building a new facility and encouraged alternatives such as expanded treatment and probation strategies. “How can you go approaching or pursuing a solution to something you don’t know exactly what the root cause is?” Duke asked. Phil Creech, who works in building trades and management, urged the county to set a firm baseline scope and price for construction so bidders can provide reliable proposals.

Some speakers called for the new facility to include a juvenile unit so the county does not have to transfer juveniles to other counties; Karen Gration said she would oppose a tax increase unless the revenue were locked to corrections and rehabilitation needs. Sheriff Garcia and other county officials said they had operational reasons to ensure staffing and security and described recent trials and additional courthouse security needs as one reason to ensure funds would be available for operations and facilities.

After extended discussion about whether to approve the revenue mechanism now or wait for final project numbers, a motion to adopt the 0.2 percentage-point correctional and rehabilitation local option income tax was seconded and approved in a roll-call vote. The council instructed staff to submit the adopted order to the Department of Local Government Finance (DLGF) for processing.

The council’s vote launches the local revenue stream; the final design, cost and construction timeline for any facility will be determined later, after further review and coordination with commissioners and project planners.