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Wake County staff outline detention annex staffing scenarios; full build‑out modeled at 137 FTE and ~$16.2M annual impact
Summary
County presenters said the detention annex could provide near‑term capacity while Phase 3 is developed; staff modeled three staffing scenarios, with a fully open annex estimated at 137 FTE, ~$14.2M in salaries and benefits, about $2M one‑time setup costs, and roughly $16.2M total annual program impact when ongoing costs are included.
Lindsey Davis, senior budget and management analyst, told the Board that Wake County’s Justice Facilities Master Plan anticipates Phase 3 capacity will not be available until around 2030, so the county is developing an annex at Hammond Road as an earlier relief measure. Davis said the county sees continued growth in average daily population — 2024 and 2025 were the highest years on record and 2026 is trending higher — and that the annex provides short‑term capacity while longer‑term Phase 3 work proceeds.
Davis presented three staffing and operational scenarios for the annex: a minimum 'swing space' scenario (no net new capacity; used to provide temporary space during maintenance), a medium scenario that opens four pods (adds capacity while balancing budget realities), and a fully open scenario that opens six pods. “The fully open scenario would be for a 137 FTE with $14,200,000 in salaries and benefits, just under $2,000,000 in one‑time costs, approximately $75,000 in ongoing costs for a total budget increase of $16,200,000,” Davis said.
Staff described current detention staffing as 472 authorized positions with 337 filled (a 28.8% vacancy rate), and explained recruitment and retention efforts (streamlined hiring steps, targeted outreach, referral and sign‑on incentives, and reclassification of 34 vacant positions to improve recruitment). Assistant Director Germaine Byrd described an operational backlog of residents awaiting Department of Corrections transfers that at times has been as high as 105 and said the county is negotiating with state partners and exploring transport options. Byrd also said that DOC reimbursement for housed state inmates is currently $40 per day and staff are working to model the county’s true per‑bed cost for a follow‑up report.
Commissioners repeatedly asked for quantified fiscal impacts to include in the FY27 recommended budget; staff said cost estimates and refined scenarios will be included in the FY27 manager’s recommended budget materials and that the Feb. presentation was intended to allow commissioners to consider options early in the budget process.
