County plans to ask again next year

El Paso County officials aren't giving up on persuading voters they need more money - they're already tossing out ideas for a new measure as soon as next year.

But in the meantime, residents might feel the sting of Tuesday's defeat of the 1 percent sales tax increase as the county looks to lay off workers and cut services.

For example, dozens of people arrested on felonies wouldn't be jailed under cuts Sheriff Terry Maketa wants to make in response to voters' rejection Tuesday.

Maketa said that he must cut 32 people, about 5 percent of his staff, by the end of January, and that some of those will come from the jail.

"The bottom line is we have to achieve a reduction in number of people being booked in," Maketa said, noting he wants to cut 140 to 220 inmates from the jail's daily population of 1,610.

Maketa said he'll meet soon with the 4th Judicial District Attorney's Office and other officials to set up the new program.

"They'll be arrested, transported down (to the jail), processed, fingerprinted and released," he said.

Those subject to the new program won't include people arrested on suspicion of murder, rape, assault, weapons violations and robbery, he said. Rather, they'll be people who are arrested for theft, white-collar crimes and other nonviolent but serious offenses.

Maketa also plans to cut six patrol deputies, four investigators, five school resource officers and two DARE officers and hopes most will leave by retiring and voluntary resignation under a buyout. Incentives would include one to two months' pay and six months of health insurance coverage.

Maketa's plan is part of a plan to lay off 60 to 85 county workers, with notices to begin next week, commission Chairman Dennis Hisey said. The idea is to trim expenses to meet next year's $228 million budget.

Hisey couldn't say what services would be affected, because layoffs are up to department heads.

It's the latest layoff brought on by revenues not keeping pace with the county's expenditures. The county laid off 24 workers, froze hiring for 41 jobs and eliminated seven positions in July.

Tuesday's ballot measure would have brought in $75 million a year to build a jail expansion and other law enforcement and health facilities and fund ongoing operations.

The proposal also called for sharing the money with cities and towns.

Looking ahead, voters will probably see a new county tax measure next year.

Hisey said that he wants to place a question on the November 2009 ballot, but that it likely will be smaller and not include sharing money with other agencies.

"We need to go back to the citizens and say, ‘These are very real needs; it's something that has to be done for the sake of public safety,' and see what they have to say," Hisey said Wednesday.

At least two commissioners have indicated support for Hisey's idea.

Colorado College political science professor Bob Loevy said the county doesn't have much choice but to return to voters if it needs money, because the Taxpayer's Bill of Rights requires voters to approve new taxes.

But the county faces a problem in making a jail project appealing to voters, who've rejected jail measures three times since 1995.

Stephannie Finley, a Chamber of Commerce official who co-chaired a citizens group backing the tax hike, said the group hasn't considered its next step. But she added the community doesn't have much choice.

"We have to solve this problem," she said.

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Contact the writer: 636-0238 or pam.zubeck@gazette.com