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DOC asks $1 million for studies to plan eventual Stillwater prison decommissioning, seeks asset-preservation funding
Summary
The Department of Corrections asked the committee for $1 million in general‑fund cash to complete decommissioning and management studies to guide an eventual closure of Stillwater Correctional Facility, and identified $44 million in GO bonds plus $9 million in general fund for asset preservation in the governor’s revised recommendation.
Deputy Commissioner Safia Khan told the committee that the Department of Corrections’ revised recommendation includes $44,000,000 in general obligation bonds and $9,000,000 in general‑fund cash for asset preservation, and a new $1,000,000 general‑fund request for two studies focused on the Stillwater Correctional Facility.
Khan said Stillwater, built more than a century ago, “presents significant security and safety challenges” identified in a 2020 Office of Legislative Auditor report and in DOC assessments. The DOC said it has spent about $8.4 million on priority asset preservation at Stillwater since 2020 but that Stillwater still accounts for roughly 25% of DOC’s deferred maintenance needs and that the facility’s deferred‑maintenance share contributes to a statewide DOC backlog the agency lists at about $733,000,000.
Khan described two proposed studies: a decommissioning study to evaluate environmental assessments, historic‑preservation constraints, site reuse and redevelopment options; and a management study to evaluate operational logistics — including staff reassignments and the logistics of relocating incarcerated people.
Carl Hunt, capital resources administrator, said the DOC consulted the Department of Administration to create cost estimates for the studies. Khan emphasized the request is for planning only and that the DOC lacks statutory authority to close Stillwater without legislative authorization. The agency provided a prior consultant estimate that full replacement of Stillwater on the existing site would cost approximately $1,350,000,000 and that immediate safety and security fixes alone were estimated at $113,000,000.
Committee members asked about staff impacts and where employees could be transferred. Khan said Stillwater staff (about 576 positions cited by the DOC) could be considered for reassignment to nearby facilities such as Oak Park Heights, Lino Lakes, Red Wing or Shakopee and that the management study would examine timing, retirements, and available vacancies to mitigate workforce displacement.
The committee did not vote on the study request during the April 29 hearing.
