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Sheriff warns aging jail infrastructure, staffing and fleet needs will strain the budget
Summary
Sheriff Fest told Bradley County commissioners the jail’s 22-year-old facility has repeated piping leaks, water-in-wall damage and aging water heaters (estimated ~$22,500 each), while frozen positions and a multi-year step plan gap create personnel pressure; commissioners asked for more details before finalizing budgets.
The sheriff told Bradley County commissioners that the county jail requires ongoing maintenance and staffing investments to operate safely and avoid litigation.
"We fix them piece by piece. But sooner or later down the road, that's gonna have to be addressed," Sheriff Fest said, describing copper-pipe sediment, repeated leaks and water in walls. He said the facility is about 22 years old and that some systems are reaching the end of their service lives.
The sheriff described a transition to tankless water heaters and estimated that replacement units, if they fail, could cost "around $22,500 a piece," with roughly 12–14 units in the…
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