Cochise County supervisors discuss keeping new jail at existing Bisbee site amid debate over costs and access

Cochise County Jail District Board of Directors members met in a July 1 work session in Bisbee to discuss possible locations for a proposed new county jail and directed staff to arrange a public meeting with the option to vote on a site the same night.

The discussion focused on two top-ranked options from a May 2025 planning study: expanding at the existing Bisbee jail site and a roughly 63-acre parcel off Melody Lane adjacent to the county administrative complex. Project manager Phil Bridal summarized the purpose of the meeting: "The purpose of today's meeting is to provide an opportunity for the board to discuss the possible site location of a new jail," and reviewed the study findings and constraints.

Why it matters: county staff and consultants recommended sites partly on the basis of land ownership, utility availability and estimated site-preparation costs. Using land already owned by Cochise County at the existing Bisbee jail — about 65 acres in two county-owned parcels, staff said — avoids land acquisition and reduces estimated utility and construction costs. By contrast, consultants estimated site utility costs of roughly $2 million for the existing Bisbee location, about $7 million for Sierra Vista (which has been removed from consideration because of a discovered conservation easement), and $14–15 million for…