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.

Challenger Bill Huddleston came out firing against Hays County Sheriff Tommy Ratliff in the San Marcos Area League of Women Voters debate last week. Huddleston and Ratliff are competing in the March 2 primary election for the Democratic nomination.

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.

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.

The Texas Commission on Jail Standards (TCJS) ordered Hays County to close its jail kitchen within two weeks and to continue fixing water leakage problems that have rendered some cells uninhabitable.

Hays County officials said last Friday that they met a 30-day deadline with a letter on that day to show the Texas Commission on Jail Standards (TCJS) progress on bringing the county jail into compliance with state regulations. The TCJS indicated that it would accept a letter for the purpose of meeting the Oct. 31 deadline.

Hays County commissioners voted unanimously last week to initiate an expenditure of $1,455,388 to avoid a possible closure of part or all of the Hays County Jail by state authorities.