Cochise County supervisors select Bisbee site for new jail; vote 2-1 after public hearing

The Cochise County Board of Supervisors voted 2-1 to designate the existing jail site at 203 North Judd Drive in Bisbee as the official location for a proposed new county jail following a public hearing where residents, local officials and jail staff strongly urged keeping the facility in Bisbee.

The motion to select 203 North Judd Drive passed after public comment and discussion about costs, utilities, inmate transport and proximity to courts. The board did not record individual roll-call votes in the meeting minutes; the motion passed on voice vote with two supervisors in favor and one opposed.

Experts the county hired earlier recommended keeping the county seat location in Bisbee, and multiple speakers at the hearing repeated that recommendation. "The existing county seat in Bisbee is the optimal location for the new jail," Bisbee Mayor Ken Budge told the board, citing travel times, utilities and long-term operating efficiencies. Commander Bradshaw of the Sheriff’s Office noted state law on jail responsibility and urged consideration of staff commutes and transport burdens, saying in part that "the sheriff shall take charge and keep the county jail," a responsibility that factors into staffing and transport decisions.

Why it mattered: speakers representing Bisbee and several jail employees told supervisors that keeping the jail in Bisbee would avoid large new infrastructure costs — sewer, water, power and court-related facilities — that a new site, particularly in Tombstone, could require. Multiple commenters and county staff said moving the site would lengthen daily commutes for many current employees (the sheriff’s office told the board that roughly 45 percent of current county jail employees live in Douglas) and add time and cost to the more than 4,000 annual transports the jail now handles.

Public comment and evidence presented at the hearing emphasized several recurring points: the county already owns suitable property in Bisbee; utilities and sewage are in place at the existing site; a move to Tombstone would likely require land purchase, new wastewater infrastructure and lengthy Arizona Department of Environmental Quality permitting; and closer proximity to the superior court reduces transport risk and expense. Jim Conlog, speaking remotely and identifying court procedure experience, highlighted limits on the use of remote audiovisual appearances in some superior court hearings and urged a location near the court to reduce transports.

County staff described the next steps the board intends to take before voters consider funding. County staff and board members said they will complete more detailed site, infrastructure and cost analyses and include updated cost estimates in the county's publicity pamphlet for the November bond election. County staff also reminded the public that the deadline to submit pro and con arguments for the publicity pamphlet is Aug. 6, and that the pamphlet will be mailed to households with registered voters.

What the board decided in the meeting: a supervisor moved to approve the existing jail site at 203 North Judd Drive as the official location for construction of the new county jail; the motion was seconded and carried on a 2-1 voice vote. An attempt to table the matter until an additional work session was proposed but did not receive a second.

Board members and staff repeatedly said they will continue site planning and analysis before contractual commitments are made and that the bond election outcome will determine whether construction proceeds. "We will do what we believe as a board is best for the taxpayers of Cochise County because they're paying the bill for this jail," a supervisor said during closing remarks.

The board also noted public-record counts from the meeting: 13 speakers appeared in person or by Teams in support of keeping the jail in Bisbee; six submitted written statements in support without speaking; and 13 additional individuals signed in in support without speaking, which the clerk summarized as 32 people total recorded in favor during this session.

Next steps: staff said the county will hire a buyer’s agent, complete architectural and site planning work and prepare cost estimates intended for publication prior to the November ballot. The board scheduled further work sessions to refine site-level costs and logistics before final commitments are made.

Sources: Cochise County Board of Supervisors special meeting public comment and proceeding record; statements from Mayor Ken Budge, Commander Bradshaw, county staff and multiple public commenters.