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Cass County jail expansion nears completion; officials outline staffing and training plan
Summary
Architects and county staff said the jail pod expansion is on schedule for late spring and described a training pipeline to staff the new beds; the county also approved a one‑year food service contract with a 5% increase.
Representatives from Klein McCarthy and Meineke Johnson told the Cass County Board of Commissioners the county’s jail expansion project is on track, with substantial exterior work complete and interior work remaining. Klein McCarthy’s representative said, “we're on track to complete the project. May 12 is the goal.” The county’s construction team said staff training and inspections will follow completion and indicated a phased move‑in timeline.
The expansion adds 192 beds to the county’s existing 348‑bed capacity, bringing total capacity to about 540. County staff said the $32,000,000 project was funded primarily with ARPA and CARES money and will require about 29 additional full‑time employees. Brandy Madriga told the board the county anticipates the expansion will add roughly $4,700,000 to the annual operating budget, including about $3,000,000 in recurring payroll for the new positions and about $1,700,000 in operations and maintenance.
Captain Froebich (jail administration) and Sheriff John described recruitment and training progress. Captain Froebich said the county was “starting the third week of a classroom academy” with 11 new hires in training and about 12 more candidates in background checks preparing for a March academy; the department expects to run cohorts up to 20 students when capacity permits. The sheriff reported the department is currently “down six correctional officers” once future internal movements are accounted for, and that since Jan. 1, 2025, the sheriff’s office had received about 51 correctional‑officer applications, a marked increase from recent years.
County staff proposed a public open house before the expanded pod goes into use so media and residents can see the facility, and construction staff said they expect to begin moving existing inmates into the new pod as soon as early June. The architect also said contingency spending on the project has been small to date (about 1.2% of the project) despite significant existing‑conditions risk.
Separately, the board approved a one‑year renewal of the county’s jail food service contract, which included a requested 5% price increase. Captain Froebich said the new per‑meal rate would rise “from a dollar 83 per meal to a dollar 92 per meal” and described the contractor as still offering the county one of the lower per‑meal costs in the state; the board approved the contract renewal by roll call.
Commissioners and staff emphasized the connection between the jail expansion and the county’s broader budget outlook, noting that staffing and operating costs are likely to be the largest ongoing items. No commissioner moved to delay the construction schedule; staff said training and inspection steps would follow project completion.
