Cuyahoga County Council Members Reject Tax Extension for New County Jail

Politicians Circumventing Voters It’s bad enough when the electorate fails to show up. It’s doubly worse when our elected officials ignore the will of the people and make end-runs around the voters. Case in point: Cuyahoga County extending a sales tax increase for another 40 years to pay for the new county jail, and lord knows what else, instead of asking the voters if that’s what they want and how they want to spend their money. Credit: Maria Elena Scott

After contentious public comment in its second meeting discussing plans for a new jail in Garfield Heights, and some infighting amongst members, Cuyahoga County Council ultimately voted against a proposed tax extension to pay for the facility.

Residents, members of the Cuyahoga County Jail Coalition and elected officials all showed up at Tuesday’s County Council meeting to voice opinions on the jail plans. The residents who spoke at the meeting all expressed opposition, raising concerns about bail, safety of inmates released at the proposed jail site, proximity to public transportation, and access between a jail in Garfield Heights and a court in Cleveland.

“We’re talking about roughly two billion dollars, after debt servicing, to remove the jail from a downtown site that minimizes logistical costs to a site that is going to require the purchase and maintenance of dozens of additional vehicles for transport vehicles,” said Council District 7 resident Matthew Ahn, who announced his campaign for county prosecutor this week.

“This will actually increase pre-trial detention because folks who are late to bond modification hearings will have to stay in jail until their bond modification hearing is rescheduled. We’ve seen this happen in other cities that have converted to off-site jails.”

However, elected officials like Garfield Heights Mayor Matt Burke, former Garfield Heights Mayor Thomas Longo and other leaders expressed support.

“I believe this is the best location for the county because of the environmentally clean status of that land,” Burke said. “I’ve had about 14 people that have been concerned, but all in favor, have called me. I’ve not had anybody that has called to voice strong opposition to it.”

Council voted unanimously against County Executive Chris Ronayne’s proposal to pay for the jail with a 40-year extension of an additional 0.25% in county sales tax at Tuesday’s meeting but the possibility of having residents vote on the issue or alternatives like a shorter extension period were discussed.

Although other locations have been proposed and debated, it seems that Garfield Heights is still the frontrunner for site placement. According to cleveland.com, the majority of Cuyahoga County’s 11 council members appear to support Ronayne’s proposed location in Garfield Heights. In its survey of council members, cleveland.com also reported that the majority seem to support putting the matter of payment for the jail through taxes on the ballot for voters.

For those interested in sharing their thoughts on the jail and the proposed tax but unable to attend weekday meetings, both Mayor Burke and Executive Ronayne will host a Community Engagement Meeting on Saturday, August 19 at 10 am at Garfield Heights Civic Center.

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