Price Tag of New Stearns County Justice Center Likely To Be Left Off Ballot In November

(KNSI) – Stearns County voters going to the ballot box this November will need to research at least one big issue beforehand.

If not, it is likely they will be deciding on a referendum that does not include important details about expensive projects like the cost of a new justice center. At Tuesday’s board of commissioners meeting, member Jeff Bertram said the nearly third-of-a-billion dollar price tag should be excluded from the language printed on ballots.

“I don’t think we should say the dollar amount because we may not do $325 million.”

The board is committed to moving the facility out of downtown to an open space that should result in significant cost savings from the maximum $325 million price tag. That also would not be included in ballot language.

The commissioners say they are trying to keep the referendum short but accurate so as not to confuse anyone when they head to the polls. Auditor-Treasurer Randy Schreifels also believes the cost should be left out because it doesn’t tell the whole story. “I think that can be misleading. We’re doing a lot of efforts not to spend that amount, but the marketing, obviously, is so important. There’s no way we can put everything in a ballot question.”

The county hopes to fund the project through a three-eighth cent sales tax collected over 30 years. The board must approve the final language for the measure by July.

The county is currently trying to educate the public about its plans but there will be a significant portion of voters who will know little to nothing about the issue when they are handed a ballot. The state requires school referendums to say taxes will go up because many didn’t understand the consequences of a yes vote on the measures. Current estimates suggest that a yes vote would increase taxes on the average Stearns County family by roughly $85 per year.

The commissioners say if the measure fails, they would raise funds for the justice center by hiking property taxes. That would be a $187 yearly hit for homes valued at $262,000.

___