Sherburne County is gearing up for a major jail overhaul, and shoppers might be the ones helping to foot the bill. County leaders are moving toward a plan to remodel the facility and are weighing a local sales tax as a key funding tool. County commissioners are scheduled to review a request-for-proposals for the renovation and design phase on Tuesday, a step officials say is driven by a recent state inspection that flagged cramped intake space, aging systems and other safety concerns.
According to the St. Cloud Times, the board has asked staff to lay out financing options and could put a local option sales tax on the ballot to cover a large share of the project. Per the Sherburne County agenda materials, one draft under consideration would set the sales tax at 0.25% and keep it in place for up to 20 years or until $75 million plus interest is collected. The packet also notes the county may reimburse roughly $45 million of state bonds as part of the plan.
Funding options on the table
A quarter-cent sales tax would shift much of the cost from property tax bills to retail purchases, spreading the impact across residents and visitors alike. In Minnesota, these special-purpose sales taxes are typically put before voters and, if approved, administered by the state Department of Revenue.
City of Rogers documents show that local governments often pair a sales-tax pledge with issuing bonds, so a county can pay for construction up front and then use sales tax collections over time to repay the debt. Sherburne County commissioners are expected to want firm design and construction estimates from the RFP process before deciding whether to send a sales tax question to the ballot.
Why officials say the jail needs work
County and project materials point to a 2024 state inspection that found the jail’s core support areas - including the kitchen, property room, vehicle sallyport and laundry - did not expand at the same pace as housing units. The result, inspectors wrote, is an intake area that is overcrowded and strains daily operations.
The inspection also cited HVAC issues, noted that narrow segregation hallways are being used for storage, and recommended more storage space along with negative-pressure cells to help limit airborne illness. Project materials submitted to members of Congress quote the inspection as saying “the most glaring shortfall in space is the intake area.” Local coverage also notes that well over 50% of inmates are held under agreements with other counties or federal agencies, which increases traffic through the booking area and adds to the pressure on intake space.
What comes next
Commissioners have directed staff to draft an RFP for architects and engineers so the county can get detailed cost estimates, timelines and design options. That RFP, along with a refined set of financing scenarios, will come back to the board before any decision is made on a ballot question.
In the meantime, the county has been seeking outside funding to trim the local share, including a federal Byrne grant request referenced in project materials. If commissioners decide to place a local option sales tax before voters, the ballot language would spell out how long the tax can run and what it can pay for. If voters sign off, the Minnesota Department of Revenue would administer the tax on the county’s behalf.
