Guadalupe County officials push for jail capacity study and short‑term A‑Hall renovations

Guadalupe County commissioners directed staff to pursue a capacity and feasibility study for the county jail and to begin planning renovation work on the facility's older A Hall and related HVAC systems as an interim measure.

The matter was framed as urgent during the county's April 15 budget workshop because the adult detention population has climbed steadily. County officials said the jail's original design (around 2001) has a notional full capacity in the upper 500s; speakers reported the daily population around the meeting time ranged from about 455 to the mid‑480s, and that the jail could be pushed to roughly 550 with the current modifications but that would be “tight.” The sheriff's office told commissioners it is already in contact with other counties to prepare for housing inmates offsite if local capacity is exceeded.

Why it matters: Commissioners said the county must plan now for long‑term options because neighboring counties that built new jails filled those facilities quickly and subsequently paid high costs to transport inmates for court and detention services. County leaders repeatedly said a modest expansion (adding a few hundred beds) likely would be insufficient within a few years; the court discussed planning for a facility in the 1,000–1,200‑bed range for long‑term viability, while acknowledging such projects are expensive.

Details and near‑term steps - Commissioners asked staff to solicit a study to evaluate capacity needs, siting, operations and cost estimates for both expanding the present facility and building a new jail. The court discussed hiring outside consultants and potentially a construction manager or owner's representative to help lead that work. - As an interim step, the court directed staff to pursue design and cost information for renovating A Hall (the older adjoining portion of the adult detention complex) and for upgrading the detention facility's chilled‑water or HVAC systems. Renovating A Hall would restore some usable housing and could be configured to serve juvenile detention in the future, county staff said.

Cost context and constraints - Commissioners gave several high‑level figures from recent local examples: an expansion was described in the $75 million–$90 million range while a brand‑new large facility could be roughly double that amount; commissioners referenced Comal County's recently built 600‑bed facility (done several years earlier for about $74 million–$76 million) as a point of comparison. - County staff warned that a chiller or other comprehensive HVAC solution would add substantial upfront cost; speakers said such equipment typically has a 20–25 year life and that a chiller‑based system is reliable but spatially and financially intensive.

Operational and standards considerations - Commissioners and the sheriff's office said they have already spoken with state jail‑standards staff and juvenile detention representatives about conversion options. Staff reported that converting A Hall for juvenile use appears feasible from a standards perspective but that doing significant construction or adding capacity could trigger additional upgrade or compliance work across the facility.

Next steps and oversight - The court asked staff to return to the next workshop and to coordinate with the sheriff, the county auditor and consultants on a scope for the feasibility study, with an eye toward hiring design and estimating services for A Hall renovations as an immediate priority.

Ending note: Commissioners cautioned that jail planning must be coordinated with broader site plans and capital efforts (including potential county government center discussions) but emphasized immediate action on the study and A Hall design so the county can avoid capacity shortfalls and costly emergency housing arrangements.