Sheriff Tim Helder said overcrowding has been an issue at the Washington County Detention Center for years – and now he wants voters to decide on an expansion.Currently, there are 710 beds, but Helder said there are about 120 detainees sleeping on mats on the floor. “We have been written up by jail standards that we need to address this issue, I have tried to address it publicly,” Helder said.Helder said before he retires from office at the end of the year, he wants voters to approve the roughly $19 million dollar jail expansion.It would include 232 more beds for quarantining and space for medical, booking and storage. “We also want to go ahead and plan for the future which would double in size with what we have now which would take us 15-20 years into the future,” Helder said.Helder said a total cost estimate for the jail expansion would be about $70 million to $80 million. He said this expansion is not eligible for American Rescue Plan funding, so it would need to be funded by an estimated half-cent sales tax. He told 40/29 News this was proposed to the quorum court in 2018 as well.“Then the bonds are paid off on a really quick fashion then you take it back to a quarter cent and that is ongoing for maintenance and operation,” Helder said.40/29 News spoke to the two Republican candidates running for Washington County sheriff. Jay Cantrell is the Washington County deputy chief and has worked at the detention center for 41 years. “We currently have no place for any re-entry or mental health evaluation, we are just full,” said Cantrell, who is running for Washington County sheriff.“Listen if I’m elected sheriff, I’m asked for 6 months to address the problem of overcrowding in the jail, we just going to run things different,” Jovey Mel Marshall, running for Washington County sheriff said.Marshall said he’s a veteran and he’s against a jail expansion. “No expansion, not right now. The taxpayers can’t afford it right now we just can’t afford it.” “All I’m asking for is 6 months then we’ll talk expansion,” Marshall said.“I’m all for these programs where we can put people out and reintegrate them back in our community, but we need a place to sanction them if they can’t follow the rules, so I think we let the people decide,” Cantrell said.In order to get the sales tax increase on the ballot to pay for the jail expansion -- the Washington County quorum court would have to approve and file the measure by Aug. 30.“As a father and a grandfather, I want my family to be safe and I know if we don’t address this issue it is only going to get worse,” Helder said. “We are building hospitals, schools at unprecedented rates. Well guess what there is a percentage of population that is going to need this type of housing and we want to make sure they are safe while they are here.”