On July 1, 2025, presenters for the Augusta-Richmond County Sheriff’s Office asked the commission to include $115 million in the SPLOST 9 capital package to renovate the Charles B. Webb Detention Center and add a 300‑bed housing pod.

The request is aimed at addressing persistent overcrowding and infrastructure failures at the jail. Chief Blanchard, presenting “on behalf of Sheriff Brantley,” said the expansion and renovations would “address the critical public safety and infrastructure needs by increasing the housing capacity for the population growth that we've seen.”

Sheriff Brantley described the current population dynamics and the challenges they pose. He told the commission that “95% of our population…is in the jail to stay in the jail until they get bonded out or until they get through court,” and that a substantial portion of the population requires longer stays because of court backlogs and unresolved mental‑health needs. “They're in our custody, are mandated to make sure that they are safe until they go to trial and until they're housed somewhere else,” Brantley said.

Presenters provided cost and timing estimates: $115 million total, of which $85 million is the current estimated cost to build the 300 beds at today’s market rates; the presenters said they budgeted $100 million to allow for inflation if construction is delayed two years, and that $15 million of the $115 million would be used for renovations to the existing facility (doors, surveillance, electronic controls, kitchen replacement and other immediate repairs). Annual operating costs for the expanded facility were estimated at roughly $3 million; initial staffing projections provided were about $2,560,000 for salaries and benefits under the current staffing model.

Officials said the existing facility was originally constructed in the late 1990s and that the daily population routinely exceeds the design capacity. Chief Blanchard noted classification requirements — separating gang members, people with mental‑health needs and others — mean that usable beds are fewer than raw bed counts suggest. Presenters warned that without investment “conditions will continue to deteriorate, placing the county at risk of legal challenges, federal scrutiny, and compromised safety,” citing high‑profile federal court actions in other jurisdictions as an example.

Commissioners asked about complementary strategies to reduce jail population growth. Commissioner Jordan Johnson noted the county’s jail population committee and asked whether the committee’s work was producing results; presenters said the committee had targeted moving 300 “low‑hanging fruit” inmates through the felony/superior court process but that full effects had not yet been realized. The sheriff’s office said it has deployed approximately 1,200 tablets to facilitate attorney contact and remote court work, with the intention of speeding case processing.

Presenters gave a tentative construction timeline that could allow completion by 2028 if funds are bonded and a path is chosen quickly. They said they were also exploring alternative construction methods, including prefabricated components, and had planned tours to Aiken and Savannah to examine other counties’ projects.

No formal vote or commitment to fund the request was taken at the session; presenters asked the commission to consider SPLOST 9 as the primary near‑term funding source. Commissioners and the mayor praised staff for the presentation and said they planned additional review, tours and continued discussion before any formal decision.

The sheriff and county staff said they would be available to answer follow‑up questions and to arrange additional tours and briefings for commissioners.