Howard County seeks $2.2 million to buy 48 acres for potential new jail; council approves year-end appropriations

Commissioner Jack Dodd asked the Howard County Council on Tuesday to approve a $2.2 million additional appropriation to purchase 48 acres immediately west of the county jail as a potential site for a new county jail. Dodd said the request follows a 10-month planning process by the Howard County Jail Committee and a feasibility study that found portions of the existing jail to be in “fair to poor” condition and in need of additional beds or replacement.

The request came amid litigation: Dodd told the council that the American Civil Liberties Union filed two lawsuits between October 2023 and January 2024 alleging overcrowded and unsanitary conditions at the Howard County Jail. He said one lawsuit was voluntarily dismissed earlier in the year and the other was resolved late last month with a private settlement reached in mediation before a federal judge identified in the transcript as Judge Bismore; Dodd said the settlement’s details will be released after the agreement is signed and approved by the court.

Dodd said the county has signed a purchase agreement for the 48-acre parcel but that the sale is contingent on environmental reviews. “We are awaiting Phase I, Phase II environmental, which must be done before this deal is completed,” he said, and estimated a Phase I review would take roughly 30 days. Dodd described the parcel as “an ideal piece of property” for the county and said buying the land is a step to retain local control over the process and to reduce the county’s exposure to further litigation.

The $2.2 million land-purchase line was included in a larger year-end additional-appropriations ordinance read to the council by the auditor’s deputy, Mackenzie Jackson. The ordinance, identified in the meeting as Ordinance 2024-8CC-48, listed additional appropriations across funds totaling $3,036,263.24, including a $400,000 general-fund insurance cushion and multiple smaller appropriations for public health, highway and correctional accounts.

Councilman Alexander moved to approve the additional appropriations package “as presented,” and the council approved the ordinance by voice vote. The motion and vote approved the appropriation package as a whole; the purchase agreement remains contingent on completion of the environmental assessments and any outstanding contractual conditions.

What’s next: county staff said environmental testing is underway and the purchase will only close after required clearances. Dodd and other county officials said they will provide further information as the Phase I/II environmental reviews and any subsequent settlement paperwork become available.