The Union County jail is sinking into the ground it was built on. The sheriff's office wants voters to see the damage before the Nov. 3 referendum.

On Friday, Aug. 28, Lt. Matthew Winfrey of the Union County Sheriff's Office walked WCNC Charlotte reporter Jesse Pierre through the detention center in Monroe, pointing out settlement cracks in the walls, rusting doors in temporary holding cells, locks that no longer work reliably and an HVAC system that freezes up and overflows.

"We are having to put out trash can, big trash cans to catch all of the water," Winfrey said during the tour.

Ceiling tiles have fallen onto officers' desks and had to be replaced repeatedly, Winfrey told WCNC Charlotte. Staff members have come in on their days off to paint sections of the building just to keep it looking presentable.

The detention center opened in 1994 under a federal court order. It has 264 beds but regularly holds more inmates than that, according to the sheriff's office. Overcrowding limits space for programming and raises safety concerns.

The building is deteriorating fast.

Winfrey said engineers have evaluated the foundation problems. Fixing the settlement would require drilling deep enough to reach solid, compacted ground and then raising the building to level it. The sheriff's office has pushed for a replacement facility since 2005, according to Winfrey.

County commissioners voted unanimously on July 20 to place a $200 million General Obligation bond referendum on the Nov. 3 general election ballot. The proposed new detention center would have about 500 beds and 600 core spaces. The existing administrative building next to the current jail would be repurposed for staff training and operational support, according to a county press release.

County leaders determined that renovating the current facility would cost roughly the same as replacing it, the county said.

If voters approve the bond, the property tax rate would rise by an estimated 3.11 cents per $100 of assessed value. For the owner of a $400,000 home, that works out to about $124 more per year.

Board of Commissioners Chair Brian Helms said in the county's July 22 press release that the jail's condition has been well documented and that putting the question to voters paves the way for more affordable long-term financing.

Union County voters will decide on the bond referendum on Tuesday, Nov. 3.