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Consultants say Hood County jail expansion could cost less to operate long term than keeping status quo
Summary
Consultant Eide Bailey presented a 20‑year forecast showing operating the current approach would cost about $251 million through 2047 versus $178 million under a 161‑cell expansion; including bond debt service the expansion scenario was projected to be about $42 million cheaper through 2047. County leaders asked for more detail and spreadsheets will be posted online.
Brent Mason, senior manager at Eide Bailey, told the Hood County Commissioners Court on July 11 that the firm’s financial model compared two scenarios: maintaining current operations and adding a 161‑cell expansion that assumes a successful bond election in November 2025. Mason said the county’s historical average inmate population has been about 233–234, while the facility’s usable capacity is about 178 beds under Jail Standards Commission rules, leaving roughly 56 inmates housed out of county and creating growing out‑of‑county housing costs.
Mason said the team used five years of county financial records and interviews with the sheriff’s office to develop assumptions that he described as conservative and reasonable. Key…
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