Hood County reviews $20.5 million plan to add jail beds as out‑of‑county costs top $2 million a year

Hood County commissioners on Feb. 7 reviewed a new plan to add jail capacity — a 161‑bed expansion with a 32‑bed alternate — that the county’s consultant priced at roughly $20.46 million. The sheriff and county staff told the workshop they now send dozens of inmates daily to other counties and that the county spent roughly $1,518,527.50 on out‑of‑county housing in FY2024 plus about $466,006.18 in transport costs, figures the sheriff said push total FY24 outlays above $2 million.

The proposal, presented by Gary Adams, is new construction attached to the north side of the existing facility and does not include remodeling the current jail. Adams said the yellow area on his drawings is the new housing; the package includes separate cells to meet jail‑commission classification rules, an expanded laundry and new equipment for the kitchen. Adams described a timeline in which a May bond approval could move the project to design and permitting, with bidding by November and about 14 months of…