Boone County Jail Vote

Boone County voters will decide in November whether to fund a new county jail with a proposed three-eighths-cent sales tax.

Proposition L would generate money to pay for a new jail with about 570 beds, compared with the current facility’s capacity of roughly 190.

Supporters, including Sheriff Dwayne Carey, say the new facility would address overcrowding, reduce the cost of housing inmates in other counties and improve mental health services.

Opponents with No New Jail Boone County say alternatives should be considered, including changes to how people are held in the current jail.

The proposed tax would expire in 2042.