Beltrami Co. Voters Overwhelmingly Opt for Sales Tax to Fund New Jail

On Election Day, voters in Beltrami County overwhelmingly decided to adopt a local option sales tax to cover some of the costs for a new jail.

According to unofficial results for the referendum, 96.84% of voters (or 8,802 people) said “yes” to a sales tax increase of five-eighths of 1% to help fund the facility. The vote will allow the county to fund the majority of the costs through the tax, which would remain in effect for 30 years or until bonds are retired, whichever comes first.

Only 3.16% of voters (287 people) said “no” to the referendum. Had the referendum not passed, the majority of the costs would have been financed through increased property taxes for 30 years or until bonds were retired.

The cost of the new correctional facility is estimated at $80 million. The current planned site for the jail is the Crown Property, located in the southern part of Bemidji along Pioneer St. SE.

A study that the county did with the the University of Minnesota’s extension office estimated that 50% of funding through a sales tax would come from non-county residents, decreasing the overall cost of the project for local residents.