County jail issue to be on ballot
Tuesday vote to include $20 million for inmate facility, annex expansion

Along with voting on 16 proposed state constitutional amendments, Lampasas County residents who participate in Tuesday's election will be given the opportunity to vote for or against a bond proposal to fund construction of a new Lampasas County Jail.

The current facility at Fourth and Live Oak streets is inadequate to house the county's burgeoning jail population, and the cost to house prisoners in out-ofcounty jails has greatly escalated.

The proposed new jail would have 144 beds, with an additional 17 beds for isolation cells. The facility would include 10,000 square feet for administrative offices, which the Sheriff's Department indicates is sorely needed.

Expansion of the Lampasas County Office Build- ing also is proposed in conjunction with the jail project to provide additional space for county offices and storage of documents.

Ballot language reads: "The issuance of a maximum of $20,000,000 ad valorem tax certificates of obligation for the Lampasas County Jail project and the Lampasas County Annex Building."

Legal notices outlining the proposition state it would authorize the Lampasas County Commissioners Court to sell certificates of obligation not to exceed $20 million to (1) construct, improve and equip a county jail, including the acquisition of any necessary sites; (2) construct, improve and equip a county annex, including acquisition of any necessary sites; and (3) cover professional services including fiscal, engineering, architectural and legal fees and other such costs incurred in issuing the certificates.

Construction of a new jail has sparked controversy this year, and a petition circulated by concerned citizens garnered enough signatures to force the proposal to be placed on the November ballot for voters' approval.

Commissioners held public meetings in Lampasas, Kempner and Lometa this summer to explain the scope of the project and answer questions residents had about construction of the new jail. A summary of arguments for and against the project follow· FOR • The 12.65-acre site along U.S. Highway 183 south is best suited for a new county jail. • Price paid for the property -- reportedly $525,000 -- averages to $1 per square feet, making it comparable to other commercial sites. • City officials agreed to split cost of utility extensions to the site, as it has offered to do with LISD for the new high school. • Land behind the county annex building is inadequate for a new jail; builders cannot add more floors to the existing jail; Lometa site is too far removed from courthouse, medical facilities and other emergency operations to make move feasible; other sites are inadequate for a variety of reasons. • Proposed 144-bed jail could accommodate future growth while leaving as many as 70 beds open to lease to other counties. Such an arrangement would generate up to $1.28 million in income for Lampasas County. • County could convert current facility into an all-female jail and operate two jails. • New jail should be built as soon as possible, as any further delay will only cause construction costs to be higher. AGAINST • Proposed site is close to residential subdivisions and could lower surrounding property values. • U.S. 183 land could have been bought earlier at much lower residential rates. • City officials want the county to extend utilities south of town so the infrastructure can enhance proposed industrial park site. • Officials should consider other less-expensive properties for the jail: an offer of free land in Lometa, a 12- acre site north of Lampasas along U.S. Highway 281, a proposed 10-acre property along Western Street or land in the downtown area already owned by the county. • Debt service on the $20 million in certificates of obligation will add to a growing tax levy, placing too great a burden on the taxpayer. • Commissioners say jail should cost $12.8 million, with renovations at the county annex to add $3.2 million. That totals just $16 million, rather than the $20 million taxpayers are being asked to approve. • Measure should be defeated at ballot box and construction delayed if county officials can't adequately address residents' concerns about jail location and costs.