The cost of incarcerating criminals keeps rising for Hays County. Not only has the county already blown its 2010 budget for holding prisoners out of county, but repairs to the Hays County Jail are running about $200,000 higher than anticipated.
Hays County officials received a nod of approval Thursday from the State of Texas for trying to bring the county jail into compliance with state law. The Texas Commission on Jail Standards found the Hays County Jail kitchen to be deficient on four consecutive occasions last year.
Hays County’s governing body resumed course towards up to $74 million in capital improvements and bond sales after dropping anchor briefly last week to check for dark economic clouds on the horizon.
Receiving the inspection results they hoped for, Hays County Commissioners are about to challenge the state’s order that they shut down the kitchen in the Hays County Jail.
The Hays County Commissioners Court hopes to persuade the Texas Commission on Jail Standards (TCJS) to revise an order to shut down the county jail’s kitchen. At the least, the commissioners could make the penalty moot by procedural means.
Hays County commissioners unanimously chose Balfour Beatty and HDR Tuesday to design and build the largest and most costly structure ever attempted by the county. But the building won’t be as expensive as once thought.
Hays County officials took two more steps in their 14-year-old quest for more office space earlier this month, narrowing their list to five teams of construction firms to undertake the county’s largest ever building project, then authorizing the acquisition of nine more acres for the structure.
A slow economy has Hays County officials contemplating a $1.7 million budget shortfall for the present fiscal year. However, county officials believe they have enough surplus funds and budget flexibility to prevent cut-backs in services.
As facilities needs take on urgency, Hays County commissioners are trying to figure out how they can finance capital projects that could approach $400 million without placing too much pressure on the property tax rate.
