Oil Patch Jail Paid Off 18 Years Early

WILLISTON, N.D. (AP) — Williams County is paying off its six-year-old jail, 18 years ahead of schedule.

The county sold $14.5 million in bonds for the jail that was built in 2008, with a payoff date in 2032. But KXMC-TV reports the half-percent sales tax enacted to pay for the facility raised the entire amount in five years.

The county plans to pay off the bond on Nov. 1. Commissioner Dan Kalil says the county could continue the special tax but earlier this month notified the state that it would not do so.

County and Williston residents will vote Nov. 4 on a proposed 1 percent sales tax to help fund public safety operations in the rapidly growing area. Some of that money could go toward a jail expansion.