Hood County outlines $149 million bond package for jail and roads, urges voter support to unlock state and federal funds

Hood County is asking voters to approve two bond propositions — a $24 million jail expansion (Proposition A) and a $125 million road program (Proposition B) — that county leaders say will leverage state and federal funds and reduce long-term costs, consultant John Polster told the Granbury City Council on Oct. 21.

Polster, who is working with Hood County and the county's consultants, said the package is designed to secure environmental clearance and preliminary engineering for nine road projects and to add local capacity for a jail that the county argues would be cheaper than outsourcing inmate housing. “We anticipate to get an additional $4 back from the state,” Polster said, describing the county's plan to use local dollars to attract roughly four dollars of state and federal funding for each local dollar spent.

The bond program responds to rapid population growth and congestion, Polster said. He presented the county's financial analysis showing that the status quo — continuing to house inmates in other counties — would cost the county about $251 million over a 20-year period, while building and operating a local jail (Polk County figure presented as a $24 million facility with debt service…