Voters across the state have a lot of decisions to make on Nov. 8, Election Day, or during the early voting period that precedes it.
Election Day will be here before you know it. The ballot covers a lot of territory between all the public offices to be filled and the statewide issues like recreational marijuana and the three bad constitutional amendments -- Issues 1, 2 and 3 -- our lawmakers have ask voters to approve.
In Benton and Washington counties, though, are separate county-level issues that rank among the most consequential and serious votes local voters will cast. Both counties have asked voters to approve expansions of their county jails. The proposals are substantially different, but both counties would pay for the construction with sales tax increases.
If voters approve, Washington County's sales tax will rise, temporarily, by a quarter cent. Temporary, however, means for several years, until enough money is raised to pay for the proposed $113.5 million jail expansion and $28.5 million expansion and upgrade to juvenile detention facilities.
In Benton County, officials will ask for a temporary 1/8-cent sales tax to build a $206 million jail expansion. They also have asked voters for a quarter-cent permanent sales tax to fund operations and maintenance of the bigger jail and other law enforcement needs.
Officials from both counties recently appeared on my Speaking of Arkansas podcast to discuss their proposals and why they believe they are projects vital to Northwest Arkansas' public safety and quality of life.
I also recorded a podcast with the Arkansas Justice Reform Coalition, which opposes both jail expansions and urges county leaders to pursue other methods of criminal justice that don't involve major jail construction.
Listen to them all if you get a chance. You can find them among the Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette's other podcasts at https://www.nwaonline.com/podcast or you can search for Speaking of Arkansas in your favorite podcasting app, such as Apple Podcast, Google Podcast, Stitcher and others.
Advocates for and against these projects have put a lot of work into articulating their reasons for their positions. These podcasts are a great way to hear longer interviews about these important community decisions.
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Deakins shows up
Last Sunday, I groused about a tendency of a lot of Republicans in recent years to avoid showing up for candidate forums where they sit alongside their opponents to take questions from voters. I used as a reference the Oct. 10 League of Women Voters of Washington County forum at the Fayetteville Public Library and mentioned all how all the Republicans in the relevant races didn't show.
Last Thursday, the Fayetteville Chamber of Commerce held a forum for several races, including the race for county judge. I totally missed that the event was happening, but here's a point worth mentioning: Republican Patrick Deakins showed up and fully participated alongside Josh Moody, the Democrat in the race. Readers can see video of that forum at https://youtu.be/avX64D22-Vk.
Deakins said I unfairly called him out by name in missing the League of Women Voters event under what he considers a false assumption. He said he had a previously scheduled canvassing effort with volunteers that night and had informed forum organizers of that conflict as soon as he could.
He's right that I mentioned him in a list of all the Republicans who didn't show up that night.
My overall point of the column still stands, but credit Deakins for his participation in the chamber's event later in the week. Moody deserves credit for his availability to voters, too. I'm sorry to have missed Thursday's event, but I'm glad the Fayetteville Public Library documented it with the video on YouTube.