A Former Mayor's Perspective on Lebanon's Municipal Jail

As a former Mayor of Lebanon, I have been following the discussion about reopening our municipal jail and the proposed levy that would fund its operation. I believe my experience gives me a perspective worth sharing.

During my years as Mayor, I toured the Lebanon jail at least 10 times. I talked with LPD Chief Frank Stevenson and our police officers about the jail and the challenges facing the department. I also discussed the issue with our City Attorney and Municipal Judge. I wanted to understand the situation from the law enforcement, legal and judicial perspectives.

I also spent part of my career as a police officer with the Glendale, California Police Department in the 1980s, so I have seen and worked around detention facilities before.

What I saw in Lebanon was a clean, orderly and professionally operated facility. The City Council was required to inspect the jail, and during my time as Mayor, those inspections did not identify the kinds of serious problems that are sometimes suggested today.

That doesn't mean there weren't challenges. There were, particularly with staffing. Patrol officers sometimes had to handle jail responsibilities, taking them away from their primary job of policing our streets. The jail ultimately closed in 2023 because of staffing shortages and operational requirements.

One thing I think gets lost in the current discussion is this:

Lebanon isn't asking voters to build a new jail. We already own the jail.

The Justice Center and municipal jail were constructed with voter-approved financing. The property tax supporting that construction is scheduled to expire in November 2026. The proposed measure is a separate five-year local-option levy to operate the existing facility. It would fund corrections officers, supervision, medical and mental health services, maintenance and other operating costs. The proposed rate is $1.06 per $1,000 of assessed value.

I've heard people say, "It's just another tax." I think voters deserve a straight answer: yes, it is a property tax levy. We shouldn't pretend otherwise.

But voters should also understand what that money is for and how it relates to the expiring construction tax. This isn't another construction project. It is funding to operate a facility Lebanon already owns, and the levy is limited to five years unless renewed by voters.

There is another point I believe is important from my years in law enforcement: Taking care of the smaller crimes matters. Theft, trespassing, disorderly conduct and similar offenses may seem minor individually, but I believe consistently addressing those problems helps maintain order and keeps a community from becoming a place where people believe those offenses simply won't be dealt with. A jail isn't the only part of that equation, but having an appropriate local detention option is one of the tools available to law enforcement.

My perspective isn't based on a campaign slogan.

I was there.

I walked through that jail repeatedly. I talked with the officers, Chief Stevenson, our City Attorney and our Municipal Judge. I saw the facility firsthand, and I have the law-enforcement experience to understand what I was seeing.

Lebanon voters will make their own decision about the proposed levy. I simply hope they make that decision with a clear understanding of what the jail is, why it closed, what the levy would pay for, and what my experience was when I was Mayor.

Paul Aziz

Former Mayor of Lebanon

Former Glendale, California Police Officer