Comal County planning committee delivers 800-page facilities report recommending phased jail expansion, possible new courts building and road projects

Comal County staff presented the Planning Committee’s final report on a proposed county building program and schedule, outlining two financing scenarios that prioritize a jail expansion, several satellite office projects and road work.

The committee’s report, produced after roughly 11 months of work and several consultant studies, recommends that the county make the jail expansion its top priority. Under a scenario that includes a new courts building on the county’s 3150 property (near Loop 337 and I‑35), the court building would follow the jail expansion and trigger a series of remodels and relocations of offices. Without the courts building, the committee’s alternative scenario sequences satellite offices and road projects earlier.

Why it matters: the county’s existing jail capacity and the long lead time for large public buildings make timing and sequencing important. Presenters and commissioners stressed that these are multi‑year, multi‑million‑dollar projects that will require additional design work, financing decisions and public communication.

The committee’s work and main findings

The committee reviewed feasibility studies…