Clark County plans 64‑bed JPOD and studies $471.5M full jail remodel

Clark County officials described plans to open a new 64‑bed housing unit called JPOD at the county jail work center and said the county council has directed staff to explore funding options for a full jail remodel estimated at $471,500,000.

County staff said an area adjacent to the jail work center has been fenced off for construction of JPOD and that the project is expected to be completed in late 2026. "This is a 64 bed medium security facility," a staff member said. "It's not gonna be a place where inmates are released or or brought to for being processed by law enforcement. This is literally just a new living space for inmates." The county described JPOD as a place where officers and inmates will be assigned and moved as needed for court and other processes.

The JPOD project is budgeted at $23,750,000, officials said, and the county plans to fund it with a mix of the county general fund, a state grant and real estate excise tax revenue. A staff member described a funding approach that used existing general fund and REET (real estate excise tax) balances and a loan-like mechanism so some general fund money could be used elsewhere; the county also received state grant funds this legislative session to help with architectural and other costs.

Earlier this year, the county council "directed jail services staff and the county's finance team to explore all possible funding options for a full jail remodel and expansion project that is estimated to cost approximately $471,500,000," a staff member said. That larger remodel remains in the planning and funding-exploration stage; staff characterized the council action as direction to investigate options rather than a final funding commitment.

Officials provided additional context about county jail capacity and planned uses during renovation. The county's main jail opened in 1984 with a stated capacity of 300 beds, officials said. The jail work center has not housed inmates since 2020; JPOD will add 64 beds to that site and is intended to serve as a release valve during phased renovations of the main jail. Staff also said the county is opening a new 56‑bed minimum security pod in the main jail configured as a therapeutic space to support people recovering from drug use, including opioids and fentanyl.

Officials noted constraints on moving inmates to facilities outside the county during renovation work and said the planned additions and phased approach are intended to allow compartmentalized remodeling without moving large numbers of people to other counties.

For more information the county provided a project page: clark.wa.gov/jailservices/jail-remodel-and-expansion-project.

Details on a full remodel's timeline, required approvals, and specific funding allocations were not specified in the meeting record.