Warren County voters say Yes to new law enforcement center in Monmouth

There will be a new Law Enforcement Center built in Monmouth. By just over a 70 percent margin, voters in Warren County Tuesday said yes to the referendum to approve a three quarter percent increase in the sales tax, equating to a seventy-five cents additional tax on a one hundred dollar purchase. 2414 ballots were cast in yesterdays general election and 1664 people said yes compared to 706 no votes. Citizens Advisory Committee Chair Chip Algren says Warren County has designated $2 million in COVID relief funds to go toward the down payment of the project, which will be added to collected funds from the passed sales tax referendum. Based on a projected outlook study by Bellwether LLC, Algren reports the estimated $16 to $18 million Warren County Law Enforcement Center will contain 60 beds, 30 cells with two beds per cell, which will also follow separation requirements put in place by the Department of Corrections.