Cochise County Jail District approves up to $130 million budget for new jail; $120 million amendment fails

The Cochise County Jail District Board of Directors voted on Aug. 5 in Bisbee to approve a budget not to exceed $130,000,000 for design, engineering and construction of a new jail.

The vote followed a brief amendment attempt to reduce the cap to $120,000,000, which failed on a voice vote. Supervisor Crosby proposed the $120,000,000 amendment; the board rejected the amendment and then approved the original $130,000,000 ceiling by a 3-0 vote.

Board discussion focused on how the $130,000,000 figure was compiled and the risk of underbudgeting. County staff explained the planned funding mix that informed the amount: a $100,000,000 bond, $20,000,000 in state appropriation already identified by the board, and about $10,000,000 previously collected from the now-ended jail tax. "We proposed the $130,000,000 not to exceed amount based on past work sessions," county staff member Miss Gilman said, describing the bond, the state appropriation and the previously collected local funds.

Board members and staff noted the construction portion of the project is roughly estimated at $90,000,000 for hard costs, with additional funds needed for architecture, utilities, potential land acquisition and other project costs. "If we reduce it to $120,000,000, it would mean that we would have to further scale back whatever design plans we ultimately determine as we go through that design process to fit that budget," Miss Gilman said.

Supervisor Crosby said he favored a lower figure to improve the measure's prospects with voters: "Because the to get the $20,000,000 from the legislature requires $100,000,000 from other sources. And I also feel that the lower the cost is, the more likely it is to pass," he said when proposing the amendment.

Other board members urged caution about setting too low a cap because of unpredictable material and utility costs over the multi-year project. One board member noted the project could span five years and that inflation or material price increases could raise costs: "This is gonna be a 5 year project, and we can't predict the material cost 5 years down the road," a board member said.

The amendment to reduce the cap to $120,000,000 was seconded and then failed on a voice vote. The board then voted to approve the original motion to set the not-to-exceed budget at $130,000,000; the record shows the final vote as 3-0 in favor.

The jail district meeting adjourned; the regular Cochise County board meeting was scheduled to follow immediately afterward.