Commissioners make jail roof top budget priority; expansion estimated at about $1.25–1.5M

County commissioners told staff the county jail roof should be the top capital priority in the next budget cycle and discussed a separate minimum‑security expansion to relieve crowding.

At the start of the discussion a commissioner said, “First major project we need to keep in mind and be top of the list would be the roof to jail.” Commissioners debated whether to re‑roof now or to combine the roofing work with an expansion project to save money.

Gerald, a county staffer, provided the most detailed numbers. He said the re‑roof and insulation work would be about $500,000 and that a proposed step‑down (minimum‑security) unit added to the back of the existing facility would likely cost between $1.25 million and $1.5 million. Combined, commissioners were told, the two projects could total roughly $2 million. Gerald said a written breakdown and proposals should be available within about a month.

Commissioners also discussed nearer‑term maintenance and upgrades. Officials raised concerns about aging security controls and HVAC systems: one speaker said the jail’s door control panels are “about 12 years old” and beginning to malfunction, and staff outlined a plan to replace large HVAC pods with more modular split units to reduce single‑event repair costs.

On timing, commissioners weighed doing the roof in the coming year versus waiting for materials and fuel prices to fall; several said they would plan conservatively on the higher estimates for the coming budget. No formal motion or vote was recorded during the meeting on allocating funds for either the roof or the expansion.

The commission asked staff to return with written estimates and detailed proposals for both the roof and systems upgrades to include in the draft budget process.