Miami County officials present plan for new jail, ask voters to consider 0.5% sales-tax increase

Miami County Sheriff Dave Duchak and Miami County Commissioner Wade Westfall presented a plan for a new county jail to the Covington Village Council on Feb. 2, saying the current facility is outdated and that county leaders will ask voters to approve a 0.5 percent sales-tax increase on May 5.

Duchak said the county’s existing jail "was built in 1972 and has been out of date for years," and that the building does not meet Ohio’s minimum jail standards. He and Westfall described the proposal as part of a campaign titled “A Safer, Stronger Miami County” and said the county commissioners have passed a resolution to place the sales-tax question before voters. They also said public tours of the current jail are available on select dates through April 25.

The presentation did not ask the Covington council to take action; Duchak and Westfall framed the appearance as informational and outreach to municipal leaders. The officials said any county ballot measure would be decided by Miami County voters on May 5, and they did not provide cost estimates or a construction timeline during the council meeting.

Background: the presenters said the existing facility dates to 1972 and claimed it fails to meet the state's minimum standards for jails, which county officials described as motivating the referendum. No county cost figures were given in the Covington meeting minutes. The county’s next public steps, as announced, are public tours and outreach to municipalities ahead of the May 5 vote.