Last week, the Washington County Quorum Court approved using American Rescue Plan funds to improve the county jail, allocating nearly $18m towards a jail expansion project.

• For: Supporters of the decision felt the funding necessary for improving jail conditions, expanding medical services, increasing security, providing more beds for detainees to keep people off the ground, maintaining COVID protocols, and other safety measures.
• Against: Those in opposition raised questions about the legality of using federal ARPA funds for a jail expansion rather than pre-trial services and felt this plan violated the voters' decision in November to reject a sales tax increase to fund the jail expansion.

Learn more about the issue HERE.