Shortly after Monday’s 5 p.m. public hearing in which the Monroe County Council will decide how much to increase local income taxes to fund a new jail, the sheriff warned county leaders that the current jail needs a major overhaul.
And now.
A letter to Monroe County’s three commissioners and seven council members addressed what Sheriff Ruben Marté called “critical concerns about the Monroe County Justice Center.”
He listed six pressing mechanical and structural problems: fire safety equipment, the elevator, sewer and water lines, the heating, cooling and ventilation system, cell locks and doors, and the roof.
“The failure of any of these systems could have catastrophic consequences for the Monroe County Justice Center, jeopardizing the safety of residents, staff, and the broader community,” Marté wrote. “The financial burden of addressing these issues would be significant. Inaction or delay in our new construction efforts simply increases the likelihood that these financial burdens will materialize.”
Public can provide input during prison tax hearing
The council’s Sept. 16 public hearing on raising the jail tax will help determine what rate they set. The current local income tax for jails in Monroe County, also known as the jail tax, is 0.01%. The maximum allowed by law is 0.2%, so citizens could see a significant increase in the amount of jail tax they pay.
Someone working in Monroe County with an income of $50,000 a year would see their tax rate increase from $5 to $100 a year if the cap rate is approved.
At a meeting on Aug. 27, the council voted 6-1 to publish the top rate, which could be reduced before it goes into effect on Jan. 1, 2025.
At that meeting, council members agreed that they wanted to hear taxpayers’ comments and concerns about the proposed tax before they set the amount. “I want to hear it formally from the public. That’s very important to all of us,” said member Cheryl Munson. She called the tax increase “something that has to happen so we can move forward.”
“It’s just not fair”
Bloomington resident Bobett Condra will attend the Sept. 16 public hearing at the courthouse. “They said they want to hear from taxpayers,” the 63-year-old disabled woman said. “I want to give my opinion.”
Condra receives $946 in Social Security income and $103 a month in SNAP benefits to buy food, which she buys during bimonthly trips to Walmart to pick up prescriptions for her medical conditions. She previously received $142 a month in federal food assistance, but $39 was cut when her disability income increased by about 3%.
“So they basically took it all back,” she said.
Condra’s property taxes were $528 in 2023. This year it is $906.
“For people in this county who live on a fixed income…” she said. “Well, it’s just not fair to keep raising our taxes.”
Bond could fund prison repairs and other projects
The county council will reconvene on Sept. 17, the day after the jail tax hearing. On the agenda for that 5 p.m. courtroom meeting is a presentation on a potential bond allocation proposed by the county commissioners that would generate $3.1 million for several projects, including jail repairs.
The meeting agenda states that the money will go toward funding administrative buildings and equipment, improvements to the sports fields at Flatwoods Park and Karst Park, road service vehicles, generators, protective vests for probation and emergency sirens.
There is no indication how much of the money would go toward prison repairs.
Marté’s letter highlights the urgency of immediate and costly repairs at a time when county officials have been debating for years where to build a new prison, how big it should be and how much to spend.
“The concerns documented in this communication are being conveyed to ensure transparency and that we all fully understand the need to apply a sense of urgency as we move forward with a new penal system,” the letter concluded.
Contact HT reporter Laura Lane at llane@heraldt.com or 812-318-5967.
This article originally appeared in The Herald-Times: Public hearing on possible income tax increase for county jail set for Sept. 16
