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Administrative offices would be built next to the new tower. The plan calls for keeping 708 existing jail beds.Voters rejected two bond propositions in 2006 and another in 2007."What people need to know is that we listened," said Commissioner Bill McGinnis. "This is the very best plan we could come up with, and the least expensive that will still get the job done."Smith County is under a remedial order from the Texas Commission on Jail Standards for jail overcrowding.

Tyler attorney Jeff Weinstein attended Thursday's meeting of the Commissioners Court and announced the formation of the opposition group."The public has said over and over again that they do not want to build a jail," Weinstein said. "We have seen that alternatives to incarceration can be extremely effective in reducing our local jail population. The Alternative Incarceration Program which the Smith County Judges initiated in 2006 has reduced our jail population by more than 200 every day and has saved Smith County million of dollars every year."His group has a Web site, www.whatpartofno.com.

County Judge Joel Baker says the group's formation is "unfortunate, but not unexpected.""You're going to have opposition in a bond election," Baker said. "But what we've tried to do is bring together the leaders of the 'vote no' and 'vote yes' groups from last time (2007). And in fact, the leaders of those groups are in support of this project."Baker says he's optimistic about the prospects for the jail project."I haven't heard one negative comment," he said. "On the contrary, I heard positive comments in the community and at church."Interviewed after Thursday's meeting, Weinstein took issue with how the project was developed -- in closed-door meetings mediated by state Sen. Kevin Eltife, R-Tyler."They met in secret," Weinstein said. "As I understand it, that was a violation of the Open Meetings laws."Commissioners argue that no laws were violated, saying that no quorum of the Commissioners Court was ever present at any of the meetings.Asked who else is part of the opposition committee, Weinstein declined to reveal any names."It's a loose-knit group," he said.

Weinstein said he would ask other members if he could disclose their names.If approved by voters, the bonds would be paid for through an increase in the county's property tax rate. According to figures from the First Southwest Company, the bond package would add 2.375 cents to the county's current tax rate of 28.8940 cents per $100 in property valuation. That's an increase of about 8.2 percent.The average home in Smith County is valued at $131,899. The tax bill for such a home would increase by $31.33 per year, from $381.11 to $412.44.The bond election will take place on Nov. 4. Early voting will last from Oct. 20 through Oct. 31. The last day to register to vote in order to take part in the election is Oct. 6.
http://www.tylerpaper.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080815/NEWS08/808150317&template=printart
What Part of No website http://www.whatpartofno.com.