Feb. 20—BEMIDJI — Legislation authorizing a local sales and use tax to help fund the new Beltrami County Jail has been passed by the Minnesota House of Representatives in a 128-2 vote, with the bill moving to the Senate for a final vote.

November saw Beltrami County voters overwhelmingly approve a 0.625% local option sales tax in a referendum to decide how the new jail project would be funded. The option for a sales tax won over the alternative increase in property taxes,

taking in 96.84% of the votes

.

“Nearly 97% of local voters supported this local initiative and it’s good the legislature honored the will of the people,” Rep. Matt Bliss, who represents Bemidji in the house and supported the bill, said in a release. “It’s hard for 97% to agree on just about anything these days so that public vote sent a rather clear message.”

The sales tax approval was part of bill HF2757, which was passed by the house on Monday.

Alongside the local issue of the sales tax, the bill also addresses an error found in the 2023 tax law that accidentally reduced the amount of the individual income tax standard reduction to the 2019 level. Legislators have expressed their commitment to addressing this issue in time for this year’s tax season.

“It’s good we addressed this issue before we get into the thick of tax season,” Bliss said. “It’s a nice example of how the legislature can come together and approve a bill with broad, bipartisan support.”

The legislation will still need to go to a vote in the Minnesota Senate, where a second reading for the bill was held on Tuesday. The process is expected to continue in the coming days.

Beltrami County elected to build a new jail

in November 2022,

after weighing its options following an inspection from the Minnesota Department of Corrections that found the current facility did not meet state standards in 2019.

A location for the new jail

was selected in August 2023.