SALT LAKE CITY, Utah – A $507 million bond put before voters to help Salt Lake County address homelessness, substance abuse, mental health and other public safety needs looks like it will be short.

As of noon Wednesday, with 909 of 979 precincts reporting, the bond faced 50.68 percent opposition at the polls, compared to 49.32 percent who were in favor of the measure.

Backed by Salt Lake County Mayor Jenny Wilson, the bond would have combined the county’s two jails into one and built a new facility for lower-level offenders that included increased bed space, upgraded mental health facilities and a transitional facility for those to be released. .

Those who supported the bond argued that the county’s Oxbox jail was near the end of its useful life and that its lifespan could only be extended by up to 15 years with a $90 million investment. Wilson claimed the sale of the Oxbow site could net the county as much as $20 million.

“It’s about preserving the community we love and making sure our family members and our community, our neighbors and friends who suffer and interact with the criminal justice system have better outcomes,” Mayor Wilson said in August.

The bond would have added $58.94 to the property tax bill of the average home in Salt Lake County, valued at about $602,000.