Several residents and county officials discussed the county correctional facility, a CGL report and projected construction costs during public comment and staff remarks at the meeting.

A member of the public expressed alarm at a figure presented in the CGL report — "$424,758,603" — and asked how that number was derived and what it would mean for the county. "It's almost a half a billion dollars," the commenter said, and asked which report and consultant produced the estimate.

Chuck Albino, identified in the meeting as director of corrections, responded to public questions and described the county's operational challenges. Albino said CGL is a recognized correctional design and management firm and that the 2023 figure was an industry estimate based on inputs at the time. "I don't think you can get to an exact dollar amount until you actually design something," Albino said. He added that any final cost would depend on the specific facility design and on how many counties participate in a shared facility, which can change per‑county shares based on economy of scale.

Albino described staffing and operational strains at the existing facility and urged caution about assuming construction alone solves operational issues. "You can build anything you want, but after you're done building it, you also have to staff it," he said, noting recruitment and retention have been difficult for Corrections.

County administrators and other speakers said the CGL report was prepared in 2023 and that earlier plans to build a different facility had been canceled before that report. Officials said the $424.8 million figure reflected post‑COVID cost inputs and that the county did not "make up" the number; rather, it derived from consultant analysis and multiple local inputs.

Officials also discussed an interim arrangement to house some county inmates in Camden County as part of an effort to relieve operational strain. A county speaker said preliminary discussions target an October–January window to transition custody from some out‑of‑county placements to Camden as an interim measure while design and staffing planning continues. "We're hopeful that maybe by the through from October through January, we can transition to get out of Pleasant and move to Camden," a county official said.

Speakers emphasized there is no finalized construction design and that any projection is preliminary until design work is complete. The county also noted potential savings if multiple counties participate in a shared facility, reducing per‑county capital burden through economies of scale.

No final design, bond issuance or construction contract was approved during the meeting; county officials said the discussion reflected planning, consultant findings and ongoing coordination with Camden and other partners.