Video: Disagreements Between Mayor And Sheriff On How To Pay For New Law Enforcement Complex

TUPELO, MISS. (WCBI) – The mayor of Tupelo is encouraging the Lee County Sheriff and board of supervisors to scale back plans for a new law enforcement facility, and avoid a tax hike to pay for it.
Mayor Jason Shelton’s remarks on social media came one day after a public forum on the proposed $51 million project.
The mayor’s post has led to swift action, and strong words, from the county’s top law enforcement officer.

Tupelo Mayor Jason Shelton and Lee County Sheriff Jim Johnson both agree on one thing, the long overdue need for a new law enforcement facility.

But , when it comes to the tax hike needed to fund the project,  Mayor Shelton took to Facebook to say he believes a new jail could be built without a tax increase, especially since the city pays Lee County $25 , per inmate, per day, to house those arrested by the Tupelo Police Department.

“Not only paying property tax and car tags that go toward the jail, but on top of that, paying $750,000 a year for the jail, that only has a $2.7 million budget total, so the city of Tupelo, I would say, is funding more than 50 percent of the jail already,” Mayor Shelton said.

Answering the mayor’s post, Sheriff Johnson took to Facebook and said the proposal will be revised to reduce bed count, and remove the Tupelo Municipal Court from the plans.

Even with a scaled down concept, the Sheriff says a tax increase will be needed.

“I pay taxes, it is ridiculous for us to pay to house inmates, but it is a fact of life, you pay taxes to get services and that’s one service we provide,” Sheriff Johnson said.

Sheriff Johnson says housing Tupelo’s inmates is not one service the county must provide.
According to the 1995 Inter Local Contract signed by both parties when the jail opened,  the county can stop accepting Tupelo’s prisoners, only under two conditions; if the city falls behind on its per diem payments to the county for holding its prisoners,  or if the agreement is terminated by either party.   Sheriff Johnson did just that in April when he sent the city a letter , saying he was rescinding the agreement to keep Tupelo’s inmates in the Lee County Jail.  That won’t go into effect until July of 2019.

“That’s going to allow Tupelo to build their own jail, house their own inmates, and put a city court, if that’s what they choose and operate that thing on an annual basis,” Johnson said.

But Mayor Shelton says a City Jail is not even on the drawing board.

“We had our own jail at one time, it was a duplication of services between the city and county, if it was the absolute last resort I suppose we could do that but that’s not something that’s being looked at right now,” Shelton said.

The sheriff says the 600 bed jail, with a morgue, crime lab, offices and justice court will serve the county for decades.

“The difference is, he’s a lawyer and I’m a sheriff.  I’ve run a jail for 15 years.  I know the ins and outs, front and back, I don’t go down there and tell him how to run City Hall, I don’t tell him how to run the Mayor’s office and if he or any other municipality expects me as the sheriff, to house their prisoners, we are going to play by my rules,” Johnson said.

Lee County Supervisors are expected to consider a scaled down proposal for the Law Enforcement Commplex during their next meeting Monday morning.They could also vote on the 600 bed option.

According to the 1995 contract, if the county uses the current jail for any other purpose over a two year period, then ownership of the property where the jail is located will go to the city.