‘We still have a failing facility’: Union County voters reject funding for new jail

MONROE, N.C. (WBTV) - Broken locks, overcrowding, and a deteriorating foundation. Those are just some of the problems inside the Union County Detention Center.

The sheriff’s office worries the problems will only get worse now that voters rejected funding for a new jail.

On Tuesday, Nov. 3, Union County residents said “no” to a bond referendum that would have funded a new $200 million facility through increased property taxes.

Also Read: Union County voters to decide on new jail, property tax increase

County leaders said its back to the drawing board on how to get a newer and bigger jail funded. The sheriff’s office worries they may be running out of time.

“Every day that we’re going to have to wait, we’re going to have more issues here. We’re going to have to spend more money,” said Lt. Matthew Winfrey.

Lt. Winfrey says they’re already trying to keep up with what feels like a laundry list of issues inside the detention center.

“I have failing locks, we have failing pipes, we have failing infrastructure, the boiler has gone out,” Lt. Winfrey said. “The taxpayers are still paying, and they’re paying to put Band-Aids on wounds and unfortunately we’re starting to bleed out.”

The sheriff’s office had hoped for help through the form of a bond referendum to fund a new, larger jail.

It would have raised property taxes by an estimated 3.11 cents to pay for the $200 million facility. Brian Helms, the Union County Commission Chair, says it was a solution they did not take lightly.

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“When you’re borrowing $200 million, interest rates matter a great deal. With a bond referendum, if it had been successful, then it would have allowed us an opportunity to perhaps get a lower interest rate on the debt that would have to be borrowed,” Helms said.

On election night, voters ultimately said no.

“The path forward for us now, we’re going to have to figure that out,” Helms says.

Lt. Winfrey says the clock is ticking.

“My fear is if there’s nowhere for [inmates] to go or we’re having to spend extra money, you know, we may have that lawsuit coming down the pipeline,” Winfrey said. “We just don’t know what the future holds for us, but it’s still a relevant problem that’s not going to go away.”

Helms says as of now there is not currently an agenda item to discuss the new jail funding. He says commissioners will have to regroup and work with the sheriffs office before they can figure out the best way to move forward with the project.