I was surprised it didn't pass, even with all the anarchists living here, common sense, I thought would prevail.
As to ICE and illegal aliens, there never was any enforcement of immigration laws in this county,as far as I can see.
I know a man who has had an open warrent for several years, he lives a few blocks from the Saint Helens police station. I called the courthouse so they could arrest him, the woman who answered became angry and said due to budget cutbacks they couldn't be bothered. So why did they arrest him in the first place?
10 hours ago •
The Columbia County Jail is on shaky ground following voters’ landslide rejection Tuesday of a four-year, nearly $10 million levy to keep the jail solvent and expand the number of inmates incarcerated there.
The levy, which needed a simple majority to pass, lost with 5,878 no votes (58.56 percent) to 4,160 yes votes (41.44 percent).
Columbia County Sheriff Jeff Dickerson said he’s prepared to “implement the will of the voters,” but the county may no longer afford to operate the jail and may have to send inmates out of county.
“It is a choice for the people who live in the county what kind of criminal justice system they want to have,” Dickerson said. “Without a local jail, a key anchor to the system (is missing).”
The levy would have raised $2.4 million a year and cost the owner of a $150,000 home an additional $86 per year in property taxes. The county would have used to money to expand the number of local inmates it houses to 100, up from about 25, by paying for five additional corrections deputies and two other jail staffers. Dickerson said the county releases scores of inmates early each month because it can’t afford to feed and supervise them.
The jail has capacity for 255 prisoners, and much of the space is leased to the federal government to house federal prisoners. The feds pay the county about $3.8 million annually. Nevertheless, Dickerson said the county needed new revenues in addition to the $3.5 million the county general fund already contributes to running the lockup.
Opponents of the levy said the property taxes would be too expensive had the levy passed.
“They probably need that (levy) to support the jail, but what are we going to do in another four years? Ask for another levy?” said Nancy Whitney, a member of a levy opposition group called Keep Prisoners in Jail. She suggested that the county should charge the federal government more for its prisoners.
Dickerson said he doesn’t know how much longer the jail will remain solvent, but he will meet with county commissioners on how to move forward.
Should the jail close, inmates may be transported to the Yamhill County Jail in McMinnville, Ore., or Polk County Jail in Dallas, Ore., both of which are nearly two hours away from St. Helens, Dickerson said.
“(The jail) is not sustainable at its current funding. How we get there and how soon we get there is a function of many variables,” Dickerson said.
“It would depend on how staff reacted. We’re below minimum staffing right now, if we lose more people to other agencies..
