Stearns County Launches Website to Inform Residents About A Proposed $325 million Justice Center to Address Overcrowding

(KNSI) – Stearns County has launched a website to inform residents about a proposed project to build a new justice center.

On November 5th, voters will be asked to approve a 3/8th cent sales tax to cover the cost of the estimated $325 million facility. Construction would include a new 270-bed jail, a courthouse with 14 courtrooms, and new county attorney offices in a location outside of downtown St. Cloud in a yet-to-be-determined space. The Stearns County Board of Commissioners says if the new buildings are not approved through the ballot box, the cost of construction will be passed solely onto property taxpayers.

A study by the University of Minnesota and Stearns County claims that if the project is levied on property owners, they will pay around $185 a year versus just $85 a year if a sales tax is used. The study shows residents would pay around 45% of the cost, while non-residents would pay 55%. The levy would be retired after the justice center is paid off.

The current LEC was built in 1986 with 97 beds and has been at capacity since 1996. According to an assessment done in 2012, the jail needed to expand, and in 2015, improvements increased the jail’s capacity to 151 inmates. The facility has not been improved since 2015, and another assessment done in 2022, showed the number of beds still does not meet the county’s current needs. As a result, the county spends over $500,000 annually to house inmates outside the county.

Learn more about the justice center plans by clicking here.

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