The San Benito County Jail is getting a cellmate. County supervisors Tuesday unanimously approved a $700,00 match – and confirmed an expectation for $35 million in additional operational costs over three decades – to open the door for $15 million in state funding for a jail expansion.
The San Benito County Jail is getting a cellmate.
County supervisors Tuesday unanimously approved a $700,000 match – and confirmed an expectation for $35 million in additional operational costs over three decades – to open the door for $15 million in state funding for a jail expansion.
With the move, supervisors affirmed their support for an expansion at the existing Flynn Road jail location scheduled to open in 2017.
The state’s Corrections Standards Authority in 2012 awarded $602 million in bond funding to 11 counties – ranging from $3 million for Madera to $100 million each to Los Angeles, Riverside and Orange counties. Assembly Bill 900 first authorized the funding in 2007.
The state in 2008 initially awarded the county $20 million to expand its Flynn Road jail with a required 25 percent match, or $5 million. In the midst of the Great Recession, the county passed on the opportunity.
Sheriff Darren Thompson stressed to supervisors it is another opportunity for jail funds from the state. He acknowledged the award comes “at a bad time” for a county struggling with annual multimillion-dollar deficits and a sheriff’s office hit by layoffs.
“We outgrew our jail years ago, which is one of the reasons we won this award,” Thompson said.
The existing jail built in 1992 at 710 Flynn Road is 28,000 square feet and is supposed to house a total of 142 inmates, jail officials reported. This week, as reported by Thompson, there were 154 inmates in the jail.
The expansion would include a separate wing built on 21 acres next to the existing jail. It would have two pods, dorm-style areas with 12 beds each, a total of 72 beds and 24,000 square feet of space.
Most pertinent to officials with the decision, though, were the added operational costs. In the first year, those day-to-day costs would total about $248,000 – with three new deputies hired – and would add up to a total estimate of $34.9 million over 30 years, as reported in a required analysis presented to the county board.
“This is a very, very good opportunity for the county,” Supervisor Jaime De La Cruz said of the state funds. “I just wish they had operational expenses, too.”
The $700,000 match from the county is considered a loan because officials are expecting that AB 109 funds from the state will cover the amount over the next seven years.
