Dallas council delays payment approval, sends Lew Sterrett jail contract review to public safety committee

The Dallas City Council on Sept. 24 voted to send authorization for the city’s annual payment to Dallas County for housing city prisoners at the Lew Sterrett Criminal Justice Center to the council’s Public Safety Committee for further review.

Councilmember Kara Mendelson moved to send the contract amendment to committee, citing missing performance measures, unclear estimates and long-standing operational issues at the county jail; the motion passed on a recorded vote, 8-4, with two members absent.

The council item would authorize payments to Dallas County to process and maintain city prisoners for the period Oct. 1, 2025, through Sept. 30, 2026, not to exceed $8,705,882. Staff said the contract amendment (Amendment No. 5) was approved in April 2022 but that some expected performance reporting and intake procedures have not been finalized between the city and county.

Mendelson told colleagues: “This is our jail contract. We have... a 10‑plus increase. There's no information on here.” She pressed for clearer estimated prisoner counts, performance reports on intake times and nurse evaluations, and explanations for reports the Texas Commission on Jail had previously identified, she said, including missed prescriptions and long holding times.

Chief Artis (Dallas Police Department) and court staff told the council that the city and county have continued negotiations in recent months and that the city can continue to transport prisoners to the county in the event a contract has not been ratified immediately. Greg Nelson, court director, said the city can operate with Dallas County but payments would be subject to later ratification and could incur interest per the amendment’s terms.

City staff said the $8.7 million figure reflects actual city usage for the prior 12‑month period and would be wired to the county on a monthly basis (roughly $725,000 per month under staff estimates). Council members asked whether delaying the authorization for one month would materially increase the city’s cost because of interest; staff did not have a precise short‑term interest estimate available at the dais.

Deputy Mayor Pro Tem Gay Danelle Willis and Councilmember Adam Bazaldua urged caution but emphasized the need to avoid disrupting sheltering and public safety functions. Willis said the negotiations with county leadership have been ongoing and that improvements might be implemented before a committee report could be produced.

Mendelson’s motion to remand the item to committee followed several speakers urging formal performance measures and a timeline for improvements. Supporters of the remand argued it would allow the Public Safety Committee to press for operational metrics that could reduce officer time spent waiting at intake, reduce hospital holds and clarify which daily costs are billed to the city. Opponents said the dollar amount is not changing and that delaying payment could leave the county unpaid while contract negotiations continue.

Council members agreed to return the matter to the Public Safety Committee for additional briefing and for staff to pursue specific performance measures with Dallas County, while the city continues to coordinate prisoner transport under existing arrangements.

The council’s action does not cancel the underlying amendment; it will return for committee review and a council vote on Oct. 22, 2025.

Why it matters: the Lew Sterrett facility processes Dallas Police Department arrests and the city’s contract terms shape how quickly officers return to patrol, how medical needs at intake are handled and how the city budgets millions in corrections costs each year. The negotiation also touches on accountability for detainee care and reporting that the city says has been incomplete.