CALDWELL -- When the second attempt to pass a jail bond in Canyon County didn't pass, officials still needed to figure out what to do about overcrowding. They've come up with a solution, but it isn't going to last.
In 1993, the Canyon County Jail expanded to its current size, holding 297 inmates. Just five years later, overcrowding became a reality.
Now, to keep convicted offenders off the streets, they're being shipped to other county jails. But that comes at a price, and some people say they'd rather put that money towards a new jail rather than just throwing it away.
"I just feel like we're already taxed a lot," said one Canyon County resident who voted against the jail bond.
Earlier this month the decision of whether to expand the current Canyon County jail was put to a vote. Needing 66 percent to pass, the vote fell seven percentage points short.
Some of the voters we talked to the night of the election didn't want to pay more in taxes to expand the jail.
"We don't have any place to put them. You can only put so many things inside of a box, and once that box is full, where are they going to go?" said Cpt. Craig Hanson with the Canyon County Sheriff's Office.
The answer they came up with is to farm the inmates out to four other county jails in southwest Idaho, but that can be expensive. As of Friday, Canyon County has 33 inmates in other jails. At $40 a day, that adds up to be just under $500,000 a year.
"It's basically paying rent," Hanson said. "When you pay rent you have a place for a period of time as long as you keep paying the rent. Once you stop paying the rent, you no longer have that space so you don't invest your money. Your money goes away, it's gone."
After shifting money around, Hanson says they are still short. Hanson said that they have $250,000 to last through September. And he said he doesn't think it will last.
"At the current rate, I doubt it. I don't believe that it will," Hanson said.
Once that tax-payer money runs out, Hanson says they'll have to find funds from some place else, which could mean cutting programs. Or raising taxes.
"They could raise the levy rate next year, which they, the commissioners chose not to do that this year," said Hanson.
Every voter we talked to Friday night agrees with Hanson that renting is not the best option.
"I'd rather support our community, because that's where we live and that's where we need the money," said Michael Clausen.
"It's wrong, they shouldn't be sending them off," said Jeff Stapleton. "They should be building a new jail and then house the people that they need to house."
"If they're going to waste the money, then they need to put it to better use," Clausen said.
Some people said they thought a new jail was coming one way or another.
"I think it's something that is inevitable. It's going to have to happen sooner or later,” said Jerry Weller “So, I think they definitely just need to do it."
There is a chance that the jail bond could be on the Canyon County ballot again in May. If voters decide for a third time to reject the bond, it is possible for elected officials to go to a judge and have him approve the bond.
