Clark County voters are weighing a $51.4 million law-and-justice measure for staffing and operational needs. Proposition 13 appears on the Nov. 3 general election ballot alongside a companion bond measure, with county officials framing it as a direct response to years of jail crowding.
The $51.4 million measure would fund expanded jail staffing and Sheriff's Office deputies, along with other law-and-justice staffing needs.
The post lays out specifically who the money would fund: corrections officers along with related programs and professional support, Sheriff's deputies and their professional support staff, and prosecutors, court clerks and other court personnel. For homeowners, the Sheriff's Office estimates the cost at $20.17 per month, or $242 per year, for a home valued at $550,000.
Why the Jail Needs More Staff
The push for more staffing funding follows a jail capacity crunch that Clark County officials have been flagging for months. Since January 2025, the Clark County Jail, which now holds 519 beds, has had no available beds 88 percent of the time, according to Clark County Today. The outlet also notes that the county's population has grown from fewer than 200,000 people to nearly 600,000 since the current jail was built in 1984, a shift officials point to as straining a facility designed for a much smaller community.
If approved, Propositions 12 and 13 would expand and update the current jail facility in downtown Vancouver and fund law-and-justice staffing, according to The Columbian. Proposition 12, a separate measure, is described by Clark County Today as a bond for law-and-justice infrastructure that would remodel and expand the jail and provide a new Sheriff's Office headquarters. The Columbian has separately reported that bond measure as a $366.2 million proposal placed on the November ballot by the Clark County Council.
Sheriff Backs the Measures, With a Caveat
Clark County Sheriff John Horch has personally endorsed both Proposition 12 and Proposition 13, Clark County Today reports, while making clear the endorsement does not represent an official position of the Sheriff's Office or county government. Proposition 13 is the staffing measure on the ballot.
County-level budget documents give some sense of the broader financial picture surrounding these staffing requests. A 2024 county resolution estimated that countywide law-and-justice services cost approximately $89.5 million annually, according to Clark County. Separately, the county's jail services page lists current jail operational staff at 129 corrections officers, 18 sergeants, four support staff and two environmental staff.
Public Open House Scheduled Days Before the Vote
Clark County was set to hold a public open house for the jail measures at 6 p.m. Oct. 26, 2026, The Columbian reported. Tours were to follow the Oct. 21 and Oct. 26 open houses, with capacity limited to no more than 20 people on a first-come, first-served basis, per The Columbian.
With the Nov. 3 general election approaching, the fate of both the staffing measure and the companion jail bond now rests with Clark County voters. The ballot pairs the staffing measure with the companion jail bond.
