SAN ANGELO, TX -- Tom Green County Commissioners Tuesday approved a notice of intent to issue a combination of tax and revenue certificates of obligation for the second phase of jail construction during their regular meeting.
Precinct three commissioner Rick Bacon is leading the effort to construct a new jail and shut down the old one downtown. He says the process has been convoluted, but in the end the $80 million new jail will have 553 beds and cost around $70 million.
The county borrowed $50 million in 2014 to construct the first phase of the jail with plans to add on in the future as needed. The plan included about $15 million to remodel the Tom Green County Courthouse.
The plan also called for operating both the old and new jails until the new one was large enough to handle all the inmates. Then the jail standards commission informed the county it would have to operate two complete staffs at a cost of about $4 million per year. The county couldn’t afford the additional cost of operations, so they had to come up with a new plan.
The court contracted with Kenny Franke Architects to get bids on expanding the new jail now under the existing contract. Bacon says by law they couldn’t modify the existing construction contract more than 25 percent or $12.7 million. Bacon says the preliminary bids for the four additional pods came in at $12.1 million so they can save time and money by completing the new jail while it is under construction now.
Bacon says adding the four pods will only add five months to the completion date moving it from May 2019 to September 2019. Issuing the new debt will not necessarily require a tax increase Bacon said, “We won’t know that until budgeting (this summer).” With sales tax revenues on the rise and property valuation increases, a tax increase may not be necessary. Bacon says the court will have the opportunity to issue up to $10 million in new tax and revenue obligations but they may not need the entire amount. The final numbers will be available at the end of April. Bacon says they would then issue the debt in May.
Bacon says the decision to renovate the courthouse and the old jail will come in the future after the new jail is completed.
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No more money from tax payers for larger jails. If we spent 1/2 as much money on treatment and rehabilitation that we spend on incarceration, our problem could be solved. The Texas Criminal Justice System has a $3.3 Billion Dollar Budget. This is not what I want my tax payer money to finance. 90% of all the persons incarcerated will be released back into society. Do we want them returning better or worse than when they went in? Easy answer---I want them to return to their families with a skill to earn a living, an attitude that is law respecting, a tax paying citizen, and a active member of the community. This can be done but not buy using our money to build larger jails. Economically, if we build it, we gotta fill it.
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PermalinkYou must not have seen tom green counties probation building. It's bigger than your local wal mart. They aren't going to do a damn thing about treatment and rehabilitation so long as incarceration/probation brings in millions of dollars for our fat simple minded government officials to live off of.
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PermalinkLook on the bright side. This opens up recruitment opportunities for organized crime, providing training in home invasion and street pharmaceuticals, and will provide the enrolled with enough skills to evade capture in the future.
After all, cops put their lives on the line for a paycheck. Who do you think is safer for them to take down: individuals in the category of hardened criminals or individuals in the category of the clueless naive, driving into town from the countryside with open alcohol containers, people incorrigibly expactorating on sidewalks while walking with traffic, and flocks of seagulls reconfiguring the Roman cathedral art around town, some of which was paid for with public funds?
San Angelo is basically Mexico at this point, sans the Diego Rivera murals.
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PermalinkIn fact, at one time the Probation building was a full blown Walmart. Transportation to and from the new Jail facility will cost a small fortune, not counting the maintenance and upkeep of the vehicles that provide the 'wheels'. The heating and cooling will also be a money pit. Do you think they are planning on contracting with other counties to house their inmates? Hopefully they are and we, the tax payers of Tom Green County, won't be stuck with the outrageous cost of operating and maintenance. Plus, you know they will need more employees for such a huge facility. Drive out that way and have a look, I guarantee you'll be shocked at the size of that monster.
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PermalinkHere’s a thought, how about instead of spending $80 million on new new jail we spend $80 million on some family friendly entertainment centers/venues. Maybe a new indoor/outdoor go-cart track, or maybe a venue like a Dr. Pepper Stars center ice skating/hockey rink, or maybe a new paintball course, the possibilities are endless. Hell invest $80 million in some of the shit for roads we have around here. Anything would be better than a $80 million dollar jail that not one local contractor or sub contractor even got a chance to bid on.
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