The Boone County Commission is set to consider a budget adjustment on Thursday to cover the cost of housing detainees out-of-county for the remainder of this year.
The commission will hear the item during its 1:30 p.m. commission meeting at Sturgeon City Hall, 303 E. Fire Station Drive.
This comes ahead of Boone County voters consider passing Proposition L on their Nov. 3 ballots. The proposition would add a 3/8 cent sales tax for the creation of a new, 570-bed jail.
Boone County Sheriff, Dwayne Carey, said the sales tax would generate between $15 million and $17 million per year, totaling a maximum of $255 million over 15 years.
The tax would add to a 1/8 cent sales tax from Proposition L in 2002, and would be levied for 15 years and end on Dec. 31, 2042.
Boone County's expenditures for out-of-county detainees surged drastically in the past three years, jumping from $499,000 in 2022 to $2.55 million in 2025, according to the news release.
Boone County Presiding Commissioner Kip Kendrick said this number is only for the cost to hours detainees out of county, meaning it doesn't include transportation, overtime, or other figures.
The news release states the rising costs to house detainees outside of the county is unsustainable. The commission said the costs don't show signs of slowing, and are outpacing revenue growth across the county.
Costs for housing detainees outside Boone County surpassed $3.3 million so far this year, and the commission expects the total cost for 2026 could reach $4.5 million, according to the news release.
The county currently detains more than 400 people, with more than 200 detainees held outside the county, due to overcapacity at the Boone County Jail.
Out-of-county detainees are spread throughout 14 other counties across Missouri, and housing costs vary per county.
Boone County's jail was built in 1991 with 132 beds for medium to maximum security and 50 beds for work release programs.
Opposition to Proposition L, such as No New Jail, a Columbia-based advocacy organization pushing for other public safety options besides the new jail, is asking for more conversations around the incarceration system in Boone County.
