We must take the pains to bring all the facts to light before agreeing to a new jail tax.

Sheriff Childers says he wants what’s best for Ray County. I believe him, but he hasn’t had the time, since taking office, for an independent study of all the options, to know for sure that a new jail, and a new tax, is the best answer.

We should not assume that a new tax will solve the Sheriff Office’s challenges.

If there have been, or are, underlying management issues with the present jail, we will have greater problems, soon enough, with a new jail.

Vote no on the jail tax, not because you don’t agree that something needs to be done, but because you are a thoughtful, concerned citizen, willing to take the short-term pain of waiting for an independent study to reveal the best long-term truth for Ray County.

Cliff Van Till,

Rayville