WHATCOM COUNTY, WA (MyBellinghamNow.com) – Whatcom County has released an outline of its plan to finance construction for a new jail and other services from its Justice Project plan.

The framework for the funding was laid out in a 33-page document sent out on Monday, April 22, to the mayors and councils from seven cities across the county. A major condition is that by 2029, at least 50% of revenue from the recently implemented sales tax for the project will fund investments in behavioral health.

The rest will go toward the new county jail in Ferndale and an accompanying behavioral care center that will offer inpatient treatment and re-entry services as an alternative to incarceration. The entire process of building the facilities, including demolition of the existing jail, is expected to cost $150 million.

The county says it’s entering the design phase of the process and needs to develop basic design parameters before going out to solicit bids. Construction of the new jail and behavioral care center is expected to begin in 2026 and conclude in 2028, according to a rough draft of its timeline by the county.

Voters approved a 0.2% sales and use tax in November’s election to fund the services included in the county’s Justice Project Implementation Plan. It’s expected to collect nearly $14 million in 2025.

The county plans to appoint a finance and facility advisory board to oversee the use of funds from the sales tax and give an annual report on its progress.

The tax was put into effect in April and collection of its revenue will begin in June, which will be split 60/40 between the county and its cities. Whatcom County and Bellingham will spend all of their proceeds within the Justice Project plan, while the smaller cities can use some of it for spending on public safety expenses.

The cities have until June 1 to sign off on the proposed agreement.