Salt Lake County Jail expansion discussions continue, 1.5 years after voters said no to bond

SALT LAKE CITY — No formal plans are in the works, but the discussions around how to fund a possible Salt Lake County Jail expansion are in the early stages, as Salt Lake County Council members expect to hear an update on the inmate population from Sheriff Rosie Rivera on Tuesday. 

The county council agenda includes slides from Rivera’s presentation, as well as a link to frequently asked questions about why a jail expansion is needed. 

Salt Lake County voters rejected a bond that would have paid for a jail expansion in November 2024. 

Overcrowding issues persist in Salt Lake County jails

Rivera’s presentation notes that despite efforts to add jail beds to the total capacity at the Salt Lake County Metro Jail and the nearby Oxbow Jail, both facilities remain crowded. 

In 2025, Utah lawmakers approved HB312, Criminal Justice Amendments, which increased the number of available beds by funding the opening of an additional unit at the Oxbow Jail. In theory, it also added beds by ending a contract with the Utah State Hospital. Those two changes alone should have added 184 beds and made another 64 available that would have been otherwise spoken for. 

But HB312 also changed the rules for releasing inmates to ease overcrowding in jails. In Salt Lake County, overcrowding releases stopped last June. Since then, inmates can only be released “by a court order, by posting bail or bond, or through Salt Lake County’s Criminal Justice Services Pre-Trial which is done under an agreement with the courts,” according to the presentation.

Related: Salt Lake County Jail’s capacity problems span two decades, audit finds

In addition, the Utah Sentencing Commission updates its sentencing guidelines every year, which the legislature then approves. Changes to the sentencing guidelines approved this year will take effect in May; they include an increased length of time served for people who are in jail as part of their probation. 

Other factors also play a role. According to the Salt Lake County Sheriff’s Office jail dashboard on Monday, March 30, 2026, there were currently 2,247 inmates housed in the Salt Lake County jails. Nearly one third, 32.6%, are homeless. That amounts to about 733 inmates. Roughly a year ago, that number was lower by about a hundred inmates. 

The end result is that more people are staying in jail longer — or soon will be.

County and state leaders: Jail expansion necessary

The FAQ linked in Rivera’s presentation lays out the reason county leaders want to expand the Salt Lake County Metro Jail rather than continue operating that facility and Oxbow.  

“The Salt Lake County Metro Jail opened in 2000 and has not expanded despite the County’s population growing by over 300,000 residents,” it states. 

Opening a section of Oxbow did add beds, but the FAQ notes it’s an aging facility with ongoing maintenance costs and a need for upgraded security, all of which cost money. Additionally, laundry is handled at one facility; meals are prepared at the other. Each day, that requires transportation and security to distribute. 

The FAQ also notes that being able to sell or lease the land on which Oxbow sits could help offset some of the costs to expand the metro jail facility. 

Related: After voters reject jail bond, SLCO sheriff’s office outlines capacity

According to the FAQ, a jail expansion would also allow Salt Lake County to better provide mental and medical health treatment, as well as transition housing for the homeless who find themselves incarcerated. 

Some pressure for a jail expansion comes from lawmakers. A legislative audit released last year found Salt Lake County had released more than 100,000 people between 2007 and 2025, with higher rates of reoffending than other former inmates. 

“Overcrowding releases lead to further delays on the already-burdened justice system,” the audit said. “With a growing population and two aging facilities that are functionally full, Salt Lake County needs to increase capacity.” 

What happens next 

Currently, Salt Lake County government is conducting a “formal financial review process” to address possible jail expansion. According to documents attached to the agenda for Tuesday’s meeting, that includes assessing all the finance options. One option under consideration is a lease revenue bond, which effectively allows the county to lease the expanded jail and make payments over time, rather than all up front. They do not directly require a property tax increase, but could indirectly affect tax rates over time. 

“If the County ultimately issues a lease revenue bond, the debt would be repaid from General Fund revenues, which are supported by property taxes,” the FAQ states. “That means repayment would require an increase in property tax revenue. The amount and timing of any increase would depend on the final financing structure and would be discussed publicly before any bonds are issued.” 

In other words, council members will get details from the financial review process first and decide how to move forward from there, whether that means issuing bonds or pursuing other funding avenues. 

In December, the Salt Lake County Council approved a property tax increase of just over 14%. The associated truth-in-taxation meeting attracted so much public comment that it stretched on for more than three hours. It came after a series of budget cuts and was intended to increase property tax revenues by $36.5 million.

A voter-led effort to challenge the increase through a referendum failed earlier this year. In a release from Ax the Tax, the group behind the push, it planned to stay involved ahead of the budget review process that will begin this summer. 

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