Several Minnesota ballots include sales tax referendum to expand public safety facilities [Video]

Ballots in at least a few Minnesota cities and counties are asking voters a similar question: Are you willing to accept a temporary sales tax increase to expand public safety facilities?

The agencies say they’ve outgrown their facilities, and they plan to expand and remodel to provide more modern, inclusive safety services.

Stearns County officials plan to build a brand new justice center campus to house the jail, police station, courthouse and other related services, and they plan to move it away from downtown St. Cloud.

“The three problems [are] really just space, a need for infrastructure investment, regardless of what we do…and third, operationally, the world has changed. Mental health and health care is a huge component to our jail population. That wasn’t a thing in ’86 when this building was built,” said Stearns County Facilities Director …