By Andy Sevilla
County officials say a new jail is needed – now, and want to put the question to voters.
The jail, plus a communications facility and law enforcement center, could cost up to $188.5 million, and Hays County commissioners seemed interested in putting a bond up for a vote this November.
“If we’re going to try to push for a November ballot, I would feel strongly and feel confidently that we can articulate all the potential opportunities for all three facilities and ideas,” said Commissioner Will Conley at Tuesday’s Commissioners Court meeting.
Sheriff Gary Cutler told commissioners about $2 million was spent upgrading the existing jail facility from 2005 to 2011. State regulators came close to shutting the jail down, but county officials upgraded the facility and met minimum standards, including roof and kitchen improvements and ridding the 25-year-old building of some corrosion.
Overcrowding is another issue.
“We have a jail facility that’s at capacity in which we are shipping out inmates,” Conley said.
Cutler said in 2002 Hays County began outsourcing inmates to Guadalupe County. The practiced stopped in 2003 and 2004, but restarted in 2005, continuing until Cutler took office in 2010.
Changes, such as quicker magistration, ankle monitors for non-serious offenders and work programs that offer inmates credit for good behavior, helped alleviate overpopulation.
Last month, the practice picked up again as overcrowding plagued the jail, Cutler said. It costs $50 per day per inmate to ship an offender to Guadalupe County, he said. In the past few weeks, $19,000 has been spent on that practice.
According to a Broaddus and Associates presentation, a new jail could cost between $120-$124 million.
The Public Safety Facilities Committee recommended that construction of a new jail be paid by Certificates of Obligation (CO), which do not require voter approval.
That funding mechanism is available to governing councils, most often, to fund cases of emergency. They also have been used for obligatory purchases.
Despite that recommendation, commissioners expressed a need to ask voters.
“I believe we need [the jail], but for that amount we need to take it to the voters,” said Commissioner Mark Jones.
Cutler told commissioners voters would likely not approve a bond to fund construction of a new jail, hinting at the option of using COs.
Commissioner Ray Whisenant, however, said officials should educate the public on the benefit for a new facility. He said a bond election is the most honest and open way to ask the voters.
“If we can’t put our faith in our citizens, I don’t know where we’re going to place it,” he said.
Also proposed for bond election is a co-located communications facility and joint law enforcement center that would serve as a public safety answering point. That facility is expected to cost $45.5 million.
A joint training center is also proposed for bond election. That facility would take the place of the existing jail and is expected to cost $13.3 million.
Demolition costs for the existing jail facility are estimated at $2.4 million, and a vehicle storage facility should run about $3.2 million.
Commissioners will meet Aug. 18 to call for a bond election in November. Tuesday’s deliberations suggest the facilities would be proposed as separate bond items.
Updated on Aug. 13 at 12 p.m.
