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On Nov. 3, Clay County voters went to the polls and by more than a 2-1 margin approved extending the one-eighth-cent law enforcement tax for a 12-year period.

Presiding Commissioner Ed Quick believes people were concerned about the potential loss of law enforcement services, the potential closure of a portion of the detention center and the possibility of more people out on the street who should be incarcerated.

“The bottom line is that Clay County residents wanted to keep their community safe,” he said.

Quick also believes voters were also satisfied that funds from the first law enforcement sales tax were spent as intended.

“People pay attention to that,” he said.

The current law enforcement sales tax, which is generating close to $3.2 million a year, expires June 30, 2010. The issue approved by voters Nov. 3 will expire in 2022.

The bonds that were used to finance the expansion of the detention center will also be paid off in 2010.

During the campaign, Clay County Sheriff Bob Boydston said that if the sales tax wasn’t extended, the county could be forced to close several floors of the detention center and find additional housing in the region for inmates, which could in turn reduce operations in other areas.

He said municipalities who house their inmates at the detention center would have been in the same situation.

Boydston had also raised the possibility of people who need to be in custody being released back out into neighborhoods because of space concerns.

Quick was concerned the issue’s failure would create severe strain on the delivery of other basic services if the county had to divert more money from the general operations fund for core law enforcement needs.

OFFICIAL RESULTS

The official results from the Clay County Election Board show 8,023 voters in favor of continuing the one-eighth-cent law enforcement tax and 3,303 voters against.

Senior writer Mark Johnson can be reached at 781-4941 or This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .

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