COCHISE COUNTY, Arizona — The second round of preliminary results for the new prison district special election on Tuesday showed the county will impose a hefty sales tax to fund the new prison district.

Results released Wednesday night showed 51% of voters in favor of raising the sales tax by half a cent over the next 25 years. At the time of the county’s announcement, there were 156 ballots remaining to be counted. More than 25,000 ballots were collected out of 76,000 mailed in. The next release is Friday at 5pm.

“After 40 years of opening a new chapter for those detained here in Cochise County, this is a big step forward,” said Cochise County Sheriff Mark Danells. I have to,” he said. The sooner it is built, the sooner we can meet the needs of those in need of a prison in this county. “

Construction of the new prison is estimated to cost $92 million. Dunnels said he has received $20 million in seed money from the state for the project.

New prisons will have more medical and mental health resources available to inmates. Dunnels said most people in the county jail are first-time offenders and need resources to help them reintegrate into society after being released.

“In the modern world, prisons are more than just cages. In fact, prisons are resource centers, they really are. It’s too much to protect people who are doing it,” he said. “We protect them, but we also provide resources because we don’t want them to come back.”

Once the vote is certified, the project will start moving. Dunnels said he will conduct research on the optimal location and design of the new prison. The Dunnels want the new prison to be built next to the current one because it is near the courthouse and Bisbee is the county seat.