Sheriff (name not specified) told the Coryell County Commissioners Court the county jail is near or at capacity and that recent days have forced staff to move inmates around constantly to find beds.

The sheriff said the jail recently held 137 inmates with seven waiting in Copperas Cove and that some days the county has more than 180 inmates housed out of county. "We're already out of compliance. That would have been pretty catastrophic for us," he said, adding that contractors who normally accept inmates statewide have little capacity right now.

Why it matters: Court members pressed for short‑term options — temporary transfers, use of other counties, and renting beds — while the sheriff continued to press for a new county facility. The sheriff said a new facility would reduce out‑of‑county housing costs and improve officer safety: "We need a facility... I think a new facility would ease up on my officer's safety." He described current officer fatigue and injuries tied to frequent transfers and lack of space.

Court discussion focused on immediate logistics and maintenance. Officials described a near‑term need to depopulate portions of the jail to replace air handlers and noted that doing so will require identifying bed space, staffing for any receiving sites, transportation capacity and temporary arrangements for dispatch operations. The sheriff said his staff and command staff can provide detailed rosters and that decisions will require coordination with nearby counties, vendors and the court.

The court and the sheriff discussed the timing and sequencing for replacing the jail's air handlers. The sheriff warned replacements will likely mean taking pods offline for a week to 10 days and said doing all replacements at once could be cheaper if the county can temporarily house a large number of inmates elsewhere: "If we can get bench space for them and that company can come in and knock them all out in 60 days, it's gonna be cheaper than us in the moment." Commissioners and staff discussed the tradeoffs, including transportation and intake during the repair period.

Court members and the sheriff also discussed temporary technical mitigations: industrial temporary air‑conditioning units and local bed options. The sheriff said temporary AC units are available commercially and may ease conditions during the warmest months.

The sheriff framed persistent demand pressures as a regional issue: officials noted larger jurisdictions such as Harris County are contracting nationally for beds, making negotiation difficult. The court asked staff to continue identifying available beds and to provide a timeline and cost estimate for air‑handler work, transportation, and reintegration of inmates after temporary housing.

Ending: The court did not take formal action on a new facility or an immediate procurement; instead it directed further coordination and data collection so the court can evaluate short‑term housing and the logistics/timing of air‑handler replacements.