JAIL COMMITTEE RECOMMENDS NEW JAIL

(CAMERON)  A committee of more than 10 Milam County residents and business people met Thursday to discuss the possibility of recommending a new Milam County Jail to Commissioners.  The committee has done an in depth study of cost comparisons of housing out prisoners over the next 20 years or constructing a new county jail. 

KMIL’s Rob Reed was at the meeting, and has the story. (Click here to listen to complete story)

Safety and the future were two concerns voiced by the committee Thursday, which led to a recommendation that the group will hand to Milam County Commissioners.  The committee, which was appointed by the court to study the future of the Milam County Jail, approved a list of 4 directives, which include completing a 96-bed expandable jail within 5 years.  Other recommendations will include that the county annually designate monies as feasible from reserve funds toward a site purchase and construction, that a suitable new jail site be selected and or purchased as soon as feasible, and proceed with researching financial options with the advisory group SAMCO. 

Overcrowding in the county facility has been a concern over the past decade or so, and currently the county houses out prisoners to neighboring counties at a cost of $40 per day, a cost which has concerned county officials, and will amount to around $200,000 this year alone.  Roy Martinez, of Cameron said during Thursday’s meeting that the tax money currently spent on housing out prisoners could be better spent on a new facility (Audio). 

The jail currently is certified to house 48 inmates; however the present incarceration rate is over 60 per day, and is projected to increase by 50% by the year 2020.  The current jail is operating with 9 variances, including two for life safety code items; and safety of staff and liability to the county is a concern.  The committee also made the determination from their studies that the current jail cannot be feasibly or economically expanded at the current site.  Another member of the group, Bill Garrett said the county needs to have a practical plan in place (Audio).  Garrett also said that a tour of the current jail helped him make his decision (Audio). 

The future was another area of concern for the committee.  Cameron banker, Bill Meacham said looking ahead is something the county needs to consider as well (Audio). 

The 9 members that attended Thursday’s meeting were in unanimous agreement that a new jail is needed, and approved the recommendation to the Commissioner’s court.  In a study by Ed Spooner, of a Dallas based group, who was hired to conduct an economic analysis of the current operations costs of the jail, showed a bottom line indication of a projected 20-year bond payment of $390,000, and all other facets of the study included, the county would come out $4.6 million in savings over the 20 year period.  The county, in the study would hit a break even point in 2010 and by 2024 would be saving more than half a million dollars a year.  The projected savings are based on an estimated prisoner count of 70 per day in 2004, and 84 per day by the year 2020.