(Toledo, OH) Lucas County voters may be asked to increase their taxes to pay for a new jail.
Lucas county commissioners are expected to vote today to place a nearly two-mill levy on the November ballot. The tax would generate $145 million over 37 years to build and operate the jail. That equates to $60 per year for the average homeowner.
The new 650-bed jail would be built on 30 acres somewhere in Toledo. Since land purchase negotiations are ongoing, county officials won't say where the property is located.
County officials say the levy is more of an investment in criminal justice reform than a tax. Opponents say homeowners already are overtaxed.