BISBEE, Ariz. (KGUN) — In 2023, voters in Cochise County approved a half-cent sales tax for a new jail district. Shortly after the election, a lawsuit was filed, claiming the all mail-in ballot election was done incorrectly.
The appellate court found that ballots were not sent to inactive voters and there wasn't an open polling place for them to go to. The county, under the direction the previous Board of Supervisors, appealed the case. It is now with the state supreme court.
“We need a new jail," said Kenneth Bradshaw, Commander for the Cochise County Sheriff's Office. "We had brought in experts (and) everybody else said, 'Yeah, you can't fix it.'"
The current Cochise County Jail is more than 40 years old, which is why CCSO says it desperately needs a new one.
Bradshaw says the building's infrastructure is failing, the security system needs to be upgraded, and the fire alarm system doesn't work.
"I am terrified of somebody dying under my watch with no fire alarm, and issues with all the doors opening, and you know, the electrical system,” Kathy Gomez, who serves District 2 on the Cochise County Board of Supervisors.
Frank Antenori, Supervisor for District 3, agreed with Gomez and Bradshaw: A new jail needs to be built.
“Everybody agrees, even the Board of Supervisors agrees that we need a new jail," Bradshaw said. "It's just a matter of how we get there and what the process was where we are now.”
The disagreements come from whether or not a tax should be used to pay for the jail district. The tax brought in more than $8 million in 2024, the first year of the half-cent increase to the sales tax.
Bradshaw says some of the money was used to hire consultants to do surveys about where the jail should be and how big of a jail the county needs. Gomez says she doesn't like that the tax is for 25 years.
"I believe we can pay for this in three years," Gomez said.
Antenori says there are alternative ways to pay for a jail, including a bond. That would have to be voted on.
The initial estimate for the jail district was $100 million, with the state contributing $20 million.
Right now, some are concerned about losing the tax, the primary source of funding for the jail district.
"We have a solution in place, it's moving forward," Bradshaw said. "Allow it to move forward, and let's get on with it.
“If it was halted, I worry that we might lose some staff. There's a lot of young staff down there really excited about opening a new facility and a new way of doing things, and I don't know what the future would bring.”
The lawsuit is currently with the state supreme court. If any violations were found, the case would return to the superior court level to be tried again.
The county filed a continuance, so there isn't a current court date set.
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Alexis Ramanjulu is a reporter in Cochise County for KGUN 9. She began her journalism career reporting for the Herald/Review in Sierra Vista, which she also calls home. Share your story ideas with Alexis by emailing alexis.ramanjulu@kgun9.com or by connecting on Facebook.
