Through work sessions and leadership meetings during the past couple of years, Lebanon City Council and staff have been engaging in discussions regarding strategic goals for the city, and one of them is reaching a pinnacle decision that will result in finding out just how badly the community wants a municipal jail.
On Wednesday, Feb. 11, the City Council will vote whether to move forward with the process of asking voters for a $1.7 million operational levy to keep the jail open for the next five years. The New Era was published just before this vote was made.
The City Council was faced with this decision during its Jan. 28 meeting, but tabled the discussion until Feb. 11 to give all councilors a chance to vote on the matter, as some were not present in January.
Property owners are still paying on a $19.97 million bond voted on in 2006 used to build the library as well as the combined police department, jail and courthouse. According to Finance Director Brandon Neish, November 2026 is the last year it will be seen on property tax statements.
The jail was built in 2009 to hold local offenders accountable for misdemeanor-level crimes (e.g., theft, assault, trespass, harassment, disorderly conduct, criminal mischief, driving offences) committed in Lebanon, Police Chief Frank Stevenson said.
“Since the opening, we have yet to staff the jail properly with correction officers,” he said at the Jan. 28 meeting. “This always fell on patrol officers, which limited the resources out on patrol and increased their workload and also, overall, increased their liability.”
It came to a head in 2023 when the “difficult decision” was made to close the municipal jail due to low staff numbers and inability to maintain increasing state and insurance requirements, such as provision of medical and mental health care, gender separation, religious accommodations, training and facility standards.
Stevenson told council only three other municipal jails in the state remain open.
Neish determined the $1.7 million levy would allow the jail to reopen with enough staff and operate under ORS and insurance requirements for five years, amounting to $1 per $1,000 assessed value (not market value).
The cost breakdown is: $317,200 for 24/7 operations, including supplies and maintenance; $1,310,644 for six correction officers and one supervisor; $75,000 for required medical staff; and $30,132 for liability and insurance. The operating cost per bed per day would be $396.
On a property with an assessed value of $385,000, it would amount to $385 per year. Those same property owners are currently paying about $450 per year on the current bond that is about to be closed.
Without a municipal jail, criminals committing misdemeanors in the city are issued a date to appear in court. Without the local jail to hold them, there’s a chance they won’t attend their court date, which creates a cycle of issuing a warrant, then setting a new court date when the suspect is located, then hoping they don’t skip again.
“So there’s really no accountability piece, there’s no teeth to the bite at this particular point in time,” Stevenson said.
Should City Council approve a motion at the Feb. 11 meeting to pursue a levy, the city would first consider hiring a professional consultant to help determine through polling whether the community will respond favorably.
City Manager Ron Whitlatch said the cost for that consultation and work would be about $50,000.