BISBEE, Ariz. (KGUN) — On Tuesday, the Attorney General’s office filed a motion to intervene in the lawsuit against Cochise County and its jail district. The motion comes four days after the county issued a press release, announcing a settlement in the lawsuit.
On Thursday, the Cochise County Board of Supervisors voted to approve the settlement agreement for the jail district election lawsuit, despite the attorney general's motion to intervene. The settlement, offered the plaintiffs $130,000 for their legal fees, the suspension of the collection of the tax and a new election in November.
“It sets up the ability of the board now to go forward with an election that focuses solely on the construction of a new jail,” said District 3 Supervisor Frank Antenori.
The board of supervisors shared concerns about the vague language on the 2023 ballot and the 25-year length of the tax.
“I think that any kind of tax that goes for that long of a period is questionable, and I have yet to hear anyone on the other side tell me why they need it for 25 years,” said District 2 Supervisor Kathleen Gomez.
The vote comes two days after the attorney general’s office filed a motion to intervene in a special meeting on Thursday. However, the judge, who is from Apache County, has to rule on the motion to intervene before they can rule on the settlement.
Antenori says he doesn't like special districts because they are a way for governments to tax communities.
"The government should live within their means, and it should not find gimmicks to raise taxes on the people they represent,” he said.
For Gomez, a new election means a chance to have in-person voting, unlike during the 2023 all-mail ballot election for the half-cent tax increase to pay for the new jail and jail district.
“You need to always have a place where people can vote the day of," Gomez said."That was another big concern of mine.”
The proposed new election would have the option for mail or in-person voting.
“What you're approving is the funds to build that jail, and when that jail was built and it's paid for, the tax will go away,” Antenori said. “We're going to do this the right way.
"We're going to have polling centers, voting centers open so that people can vote in person. We're going to give everybody ample opportunity to weigh in, and we're going to let the public decide that that's what we're going to live with.
"One way or the other, the voters will let us know how they feel about it.”
As for the money already collected, Antenori and Gomez would like it to go toward the building of the new jail, but conversations still need to be had with the county's legal team about what they can actually do with the funds.
“It’s critical that it goes towards the jail," Antenori said. "We'll probably have close to $18 million in there by the time the tax gets suspended.”
It’s unknown when the judge will make his ruling on the motion to intervene.
KGUN 9 reached out to the Cochise County Sheriff's Office for comment, but they declined.
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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.
