Opposition forms to Boone County public safety tax
Marie Moyer
COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)
Local group No New Jail Boone Co. is pushing back against a sales tax increase set to appear on the November ballot.
Last week, the Boone County Commission approved a proposal to put a 3/8-cent sales tax on the November ballot. The motion was initially requested by Boone County Sheriff Dwayne Carey, who plans to use the funds to build a new Boone County Jail.
No New Jail Boone Co. is set to meet Wednesday, according to a Facebook post.
“Let’s talk why the sheriff and county commission can only imagine one direction for Boone County: higher taxes for more cages,” the post states. “Let’s talk a different direction and setting the tone for coming decades that doesn’t hinge on despair and exploitation.”
Carey reports the current jail is outdated for inmate needs, with Boone County housing hundreds of inmates in out-of-county facilities.
According to prior reporting, it cost over $2.5 million in 2025 to house inmates. It cost around $499,000 for housing in 2022. From January to March this year, it cost around $1.12 million to house detainees out-of-county.
During last week’s Boone County Commission meeting, the commission also planned to use the time between elections to review current prevention resources and to strategize potential jail construction budgets.
District II Commissioner Janet Thompson called for a possible revival of the “Jail Overcrowding Group” formed by a former commissioner.
The group was made up of other officials who often work with inmates, such as county commissioners, prosecutors, sheriffs and judges. The group worked together to discuss what resources were available for those involved.
“The county became a leader in adult services through that time because we utilized the new ways of looking at how we take care of people and how we can divert people through adult court services,” Thompson said. “That was part of that whole process of saying, ‘How do we do this better? How do we keep the right people in our jail and not just throw people in just willy nilly and do it with no rationale?'”
Carey added that he has reached out to those involved.
“I agree with Commissioner Thompson on this, it’s more about guarding against this problem from really elevating,” Carey said. “Once we do get in this new jail four or five years from now, and we have to do something to address this mental health crisis at the local level because we’re just not going to get the funding from the state and feds.”
Boone County Auditor Kyle Rieman estimates that, based on current 1/8-cent collections from the current Prop L tax in 2025, this tax increase would start in 2027 and generate at least $17 million annually.
The new jail plans call for around 570 beds. The jail would also have accommodations for inmates certified by the Department of Mental Health and juveniles.
The meeting is set for 6 p.m. Wednesday in the Columbia Public Library Friends Room.