Houghton County voters will see a $28 million jail and county building bond on their Nov. 3 ballots after the Board of Commissioners adopted Resolution #26-15 on Wednesday, Aug. 5, according to the county’s meeting packet.

The proposal asks voters to authorize 30-year general obligation bonds to construct a new jail and sheriff’s operations facility on the county’s Sharon Avenue property in Houghton. If approved, the estimated first-year levy would be 1.2726 mills, or roughly $127 per year for a homeowner with $100,000 in taxable value, based on the millage rate prepared by Raymond James, the county’s municipal advisor.

That is a significant reduction from the 2025 proposal that voters rejected. That measure sought $32 million at 1.6 mills for 30 years. The new proposal is $4 million smaller with a levy about a third of a mill lower.

“We’re going forward. This time, it’s with a reduced cost to the taxpayer, so we’re hopeful and confident that those in support of this will get the millage passed,” Board Chair Tom Tikkanen said at the Aug. 5 meeting, as reported by WLUC.

How the number was set

A Jail Committee formed after the 2025 defeat met July 30 and voted 8-0 on three recommendations: pursue a $28 million millage, use a 30-year bond term and draft plain-language ballot wording, according to the county meeting packet.

Three contractors submitted rough-order-of-magnitude cost estimates for the project: Granger Construction at $25 million to $28 million, Miron Construction at $27.8 million and Bradway Enterprises at approximately $24.7 million including engineering costs.

County Building Inspector Todd LaRue told the committee he was comfortable with $28 million as a conservative figure with room for contingencies.

The planned facility would include at least 60 beds, the full sheriff’s office and a small arraignment courtroom. Sheriff Josh Saaranen told the committee he does not want to open a jail that is full on day one.

What happens to existing buildings

The former church on the Sharon Avenue site will not be demolished. Tikkanen said the building department, drain commissioner and other county offices would relocate there within 2026, according to WLUC’s coverage.

The current jail would be repurposed for record storage, saving the county roughly $14,000 a year it currently spends on off-site storage, according to LaRue and the county meeting packet.

A long road to the ballot

Houghton County voters have rejected jail proposals multiple times, including a roughly $10.9 million addition proposal in November 2018, according to county records.

The 2025 measure was placed on the Aug. 5, 2025 ballot after a 4-1 board vote in May 2025, with Commissioner Joel Keranen voting no, according to Board of Commissioners minutes. Voters later defeated the measure.

Tikkanen warned at the Aug. 5 meeting that a judge or the Michigan Department of Corrections could order the current facility shut down, saying it cannot feasibly be upgraded, according to WLUC.

One wrinkle

The Jail Committee recommended plain-language ballot wording, but the resolution adopted by the board uses standard legal language drafted by bond counsel Miller Canfield, including terms such as “acquire,” “demolition” and “interests in land” that committee members had flagged as potentially confusing to voters.

Whether the board separately addressed the committee’s plain-language recommendation is unclear from available records.

What's next

The Jail Committee’s next meeting is Monday, Aug. 10 at 4 p.m. in the fifth-floor conference room of the Houghton County Courthouse, where members plan to discuss public education events ahead of the vote.

Absentee ballots are scheduled to go out Sept. 26, according to Jail Committee Co-Chair Faith Morrison and the county meeting packet.