MIDLAND, Texas — Plans regarding a new county jail were a hot topic at the Midland County Commissioners meeting Tuesday.
All of the commissioners agreed that a new jail is needed to replace the old one, but there was a passionate discussion regarding how to pay for it.
The project is currently going to cost around $170 million, but the court did have some options on the table, each with it's pros and cons.
"So there's two options, one is calling for a bond and hoping it will pass to be able to build a new jail or we could do a certificate of obligation, where the commissioners court decides to go ahead and get the loan out, so we wouldn't go for a bond," Luis Sanchez, the Midland County commissioner of Precinct 3, said.
However, there was still some pushback.
The new jail would be located on a plot of land built in the eastern part of Midland, which is within Precinct 2.
Jeff Somers, who oversees Precinct 2, has spoken to people within their precinct and he says that many are worried about having a jail in the backyard.
While he does acknowledge the need for a new jail, he says that he would still need to oppose the vote for a new jail.
“The majority of the folks in the Precinct Two in the east side of town are opposed to this, which I think everybody else in other precincts, they wouldn't want the jail in their backyard, either," Somers said. "That's why I've been opposed to the jail.”
The commissioners also want to get the people’s opinions on this.
Since a certificate of obligation is a decision made by the courts, that means it wouldn’t be put on the ballot like a bond would. That means the people couldn’t vote on it.
But if the court doesn't make a decision on the payment methods or if they choose to pay with a bond and it gets shot down in the ballots, it could come back to haunt them.
"I'm also torn on the other side of it that if it [a bond] failed, that it keeps getting kicked down the road, we're still gonna have to do this," Scott Ramsey, Midland County commissioner of Precinct 1, said. "If we don't, we're gonna ship prisoners to other places. Our jail is old, it has a potential of failing and if that happens, we are really in a world of hurt.”
Ultimately, they decided to go with the certificate of obligation, which they believe will put less strain on the county.
“We voted go ahead with the resolution for the certificate of obligation. not binding the county as of yet on which way we're going to go," Ramsey said. "We're under a timeline to get this done. So if it was ultimately decided to go that direction, we needed to have that ready for the next quarter.”
This is not a final decision nor is it set in stone. The court is encouraging the public to come to their next meeting, which will be held on Dec. 19 at 9 a.m. at the Midland County Courthouse, so they can voice their opinions and thoughts on the matter.
A final decision on a payment method would likely come after the court has heard the opinions of the public.