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

The agencies say their facilities have outgrown and plan to expand and renovate them to provide more modern and inclusive security services.

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

“The three issues (are) really just space, a need for investment in infrastructure, whatever we do…and thirdly, operationally, the world has changed. Mental health and health care is an important component of our prison population. That wasn’t a thing in 1986 when this building was built,” said Stearns County Facilities Director Kevin Korneck.

“We are chronically close to full capacity most of the time,” Stearns County Sheriff Steve Soyka said, referring to the current jail facility. “We’re definitely looking at creating some new facilities, you know, increasing our programming and giving it a completely different look than what we’re doing now.”

The county hopes to raise the $325 million needed by increasing the countywide sales tax by three-eighths of a cent over the next 30 years or until the project is paid off, whichever comes first.

“We are really looking for 40 to 50 acres of land to be able to carry out this project. We can plan for expansion in the future,” Korneck said.

Officials say the project is happening one way or another; the ballot question will simply decide how it will be paid.

A “yes” vote in the referendum would mean an increase in the sales tax, which the county estimates would increase average household spending by $85 a year.

A “no” vote means the county would likely raise property taxes, costing the average household $185 more per year, according to their estimate.

“This would not require a vote or referendum. The (county) commissioners could make that decision themselves,” Korneck explained.

In Woodbury, voters are asked to weigh a similar, temporary half-cent sales tax to renovate and expand its public safety campus.

Police Chief Jason Posel said a “yes” vote would also mean an increase of about $13 a year in property taxes for the average household.

Likewise, a “no” vote would mean the city moves forward with a larger property tax increase to fund the roughly $50 million project. $154 more per year for the average household, Chief Posel said.

In Oakdale, voters are asked to extend a half-cent increase in the existing sales taxciting increased construction costs for the expansion and renovation of their police facility and the construction of a new public works building.

Simply put, we are talking about critical public safety infrastructure,” Korneck concluded.

“We are by no means building a Taj Mahal. We’re going to build a focused facility, you know, that serves the community,” added Sheriff Soyka. “What I mean is we’re just doing our due diligence to do the right thing and build what we need, no more, no less, and plan for the future.”

The historic Stearns County Courthouse and the county administration building will both remain in downtown St. Cloud, Korneck said. The prison and a fourth building will be demolished, he added.

A list of voting questions by county can be found HERE.