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Architect urges Potter County to plan for at least 672 beds; new jail could cost $200M
Summary
Consultants told the court that Potter County’s jail needs exceed the state jail commission’s 624‑bed estimate and recommended designing a new, expandable facility of at least 672 beds (with consideration of 720–768), citing population dynamics, I‑40 arrests and a large nearby data‑center workforce. The court took no immediate action.
Kenny Burns, the consulting architect who led a county facility needs analysis, told the Potter County Commissioners Court on Dec. 8 that the county should not build a jail smaller than 672 beds and should plan for expansion.
“Based on this information and the 1‑to‑48 staff‑to‑inmate ratio, we would recommend that consideration be given to constructing a facility consisting of no less than 624 beds with the capability to expand in the future,” Burns read from the report and then explained his team’s interpretation that Potter County needs at least 672 beds now and should consider 720 beds to avoid repeated shortfalls. He said the county’s unique arrest profile, high I‑40 traffic and nearby data‑center construction are likely to push demand higher than the state’s earlier 624‑bed figure.
The consultants laid out three options: do nothing (continue to house inmates out of county at an annual cost the consultant said “exceeds $1,000,000”), expand the current jail (a constrained addition of roughly 96–144 beds at a preliminary estimate of about $47 million), or construct a new facility (the consultant’s baseline: a 672‑bed jail with probable construction cost of roughly $188 million and total project cost near $202 million when non‑construction costs are included).
Jason, a jail‑commission analyst working with Burns, flagged population volatility and TDCJ transfer delays as drivers of capacity problems: the jail’s monthly snapshots have varied widely, with peaks near 648 inmates on some reported days and average daily populations well over 500. Prosecutor Jesse added a separate operational pressure: recent changes in state law and a constitutional amendment could increase pretrial holds and felony‑level incarcerations, which would “have a significant impact on a county’s bottom line and on a jail population,” he told the court.
Commissioners asked about staffing, supervision model and financing. Burns said an efficient, modern design could limit staffing increases compared with the current facility and recommended designing pods in 48‑bed increments to meet a 1‑to‑48 staff standard. On financing, consultants presented two main options: certificates of obligation (which can be used when an urgent need exists) or a general obligation bond requiring a voter election; consultants cautioned that delaying construction would materially increase costs (they modeled an 8% annual escalation in construction prices).
The court heard the presentation and asked follow‑up questions but took no immediate action on the report. The judge stated the item would be informational for now; next steps would include more detailed programming, staffing analysis and financial modeling before any bond or debt decision.
