Salt Lake County mayor calls for closing the aging Oxbow Jail in budget proposal
by Bridger Beal-Cvetko ksl · KSL.comKEY TAKEAWAYS
- Salt Lake County Mayor Jenny Wilson proposes closing Oxbow Jail while modernizing and expanding Metro Jail.
- She proposed a $575 million bond that aims to increase jail capacity and improve mental health facilities.
- The proposal could raise property taxes by 13.53% if approved by the council.
SALT LAKE CITY — Salt Lake County Mayor Jenny Wilson is proposing to close the county's aging Oxbow Jail while bonding for around $575 million to cover additional capacity and renovations at the Salt Lake County Metro Jail.
Wilson presented the plan to the county council as part of her proposal for the county budget next year, which also proposes to set aside $15 million for a future facility for those waiting for treatment after leaving jail. The mayor said the proposal will "significantly reboot" how the county addresses criminal justice and safety, allowing certain people to be sent to supervised treatment rather than jail.
"A jail cell cannot substitute for a functioning mental health system," she said in a statement. "Of course, some people must be incarcerated to protect the public and maintain order. But when someone can be safely supervised and treated in a setting that better addresses their needs, that option is ultimately less expensive and provides better outcomes."
The budget still needs to be approved by the nine-member council later this year.
Criminal justice proposal
Salt Lake County has long been looking for a way to address jail and treatment capacity. It's been more than 25 years since the Metro Jail opened, during which time the county added more than 300,000 new residents, but no significant expansion of jail beds.
The County Council proposed a $507 million public safety bond in 2024, but that effort was voted down by county residents. The bond would have funded a facility to house repeat offenders who suffer from mental illness or substance abuse disorders, while consolidating the two jails into one facility with more space.
Wilson's latest proposal includes a $575 million bond to help pay for the modernization of the Metro Jail. In total, the project is expected to cost about $660 million, but the county has already set aside $100 million for it.
If approved by the council in December, the 25-year bond would be paid off by 13.53% increase in county property taxes, a total of about $39.5 million per year, according to the mayor's office.
That increase amounts to about $70.21 per year for the average homeowner with a home valued at $658,000, or $127.65 per year for the average business.
Wilson called the criminal justice proposal "the most consequential recommendation in the budget," noting that more than 70% of the county's general fund has been spent addressing the issue in recent years.
"This is the foundation of what Salt Lake County does," she told the council. "Improving this system is one of our greatest opportunities to deliver better results to both those who are justice-involved and to taxpayers. ... Beginning early in 2027, we will significantly reboot our criminal justice system."
The proposal aims to increase the number of jail beds by a net of 252. After closing the Oxbow Jail — which can house 552 inmates in its general population — the Metro Jail would expand and be renovated to add 802 beds. The plan would increase the number of medical and mental health beds from 136 to 384.
"It adds case managers and peer support specialists to the system," Wilson added. "It also offers additional supportive housing, an area that we've been coordinating with the state, cities and nonprofit partners to build."
Salt Lake County Sheriff Rosie Rivera said jail capacity "is essential to public safety" and said the county needs a "long-term solution" for capacity.
"The proposed expansion will add much-needed capacity, modernize medical and mental health facilities, and create more opportunities for programming aimed at reducing recidivism," she stated.
How to weigh in
Wilson's proposed budget represents her priorities, but it's up to the council to decide how much, if any, they want to spend on the various programs. The council will continue to hold hearings on the issue. A public hearing is scheduled for Dec. 8 at 6 p.m., which will be followed by a vote.
County residents can also weigh in at weekly council meetings over the next several months or by emailing council@saltlakecounty.gov. A full list of budget documents can be found on the county's website.
The Key Takeaways for this article were generated with the assistance of large language models and reviewed by our editorial team. The article, itself, is solely human-written.