Tyler

By ROY MAYNARD
Staff Writer

Smith County voters resoundingly defeated a proposed $125 million jail downtown. The plan went down 69 percent to 31 percent, with 23,288 voters casting ballots. Of that total, 14,141 voted against the bond package, while 6,369 voted in favor of it.

Neither side of the contentious bond election celebrated Tuesday night.

"I still have mixed emotions about this," said David Stein, a leader of the "vote no" Citizens for the Right Jail Plan Committee. "I still wish we were not here doing this; I still wish we had been presented with a reasonable proposal."

County Judge Joel Baker said he was deeply disappointed.

"I'm still convinced this is the best plan for Smith County," Baker said. "And I was convinced that voters who had educated themselves on the issues would agree. I was wrong."

Herb Buie, chairman of the Build the Jail Committee, also expressed disappointment, but said he has still faith in both the plan and the process.

Bobby Curtis, treasurer of the "vote no" group, said "the silent majority has spoken."

"And right now, our hand is out to the county to get together and do it right this time," Curtis said. "We don't have any vendettas. We know we need a jail. We just didn't want to spend this kind of money for it."

Baker wouldn't speculate on what factors contributed to the decisive defeat of the proposition.

But Stein said county commissioners "just missed the mark." Stein notes he was a commissioner in 2006, when the last jail bond propositions were defeated, also by wide margins.

"A lot of folks feel they didn't listen to the voters," he said. "I really believe that group felt the last bond election failed because it didn't go far enough - that it wasn't comprehensive. So they came back with something larger."

The message voters really sent, Stein believes, is the need for a phased approach and a lower price tag.

Now, Baker says, the court will regroup.

"We'll see where we need to go from here," he said.

In response to a question from the "Vote No" group, Baker ruled out using Certificates of Obligation - which don't require voter approval - to finance the jail.

"COs are not going to happen," he said.

The $125 million bond package included a jail tower at Broadway Avenue and Elm Street, a low risk facility, and an office building next to the Courthouse Annex.

Smith County commissioners are not scheduled to meet on Monday, due to the Veterans Day holiday.

Smith County Commisioners court Judge Joel Baker, left, talks with Herbert Buie at Kay Davenport's office Tuesday night.
((Staff Photo by Herb Nygren Jr.))