FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS ON FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS ON WALLER - PDF document

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS ON FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS ON WALLER COUNTY JAIL BOND WALLER COUNTY JAIL BOND REFERENDUM REFERENDUM Question: There is no law that requires Waller County to have a jail, so why build one? Answer: That is incorrect. Section 351.001 (Duty to Provide Jails) of the Texas Local Government states: (a) The commissioners court of a county shall provide safe and suitable jails for the county. (b.) The jails must be located at the county seat unless the county has only one jail, in which case the jail may be located anywhere in the county at the discretion of the commissioner’s court. Sec. 351.002. Jail Standards. Each county jail must comply with the minimum standards and the rules and procedures of the Commission on Jail Standards. 836 Austin Street, Suite 203, Hempstead, Texas 77445 979.826.7700 Facsimile: 979.826.2112

Question: How close has Waller County come in the past to having its jail closed by the Texas Jail Commission (TJC) or will the TJC close the jail if a new facility is not built? Answer: The Texas Jail Commission has expressed doubts as early as 2007 during annual inspections that they did not feel that the Waller County Jail facility would last much longer. In September of 2014, the Texas Jail Commission Prepared a Facility Needs Analysis for Waller Count to evaluate the capacity and need for a new facility. On May 11, 2017, Waller County Judge Trey Duhon received a letter from Brandon Wood, Executive Director of the Texas Jail Commission, which stated: “I was further encouraged by the fact the county appears to finally be moving toward replacing the existing Waller County Jail. Some of what you are dealing with is outside of your control. The linear design itself was becoming obsolete when the jail was constructed. Further compounding the challenges you face now is that 30 years ago, it was decided to utilize steel plate rather than block for large portions of the facility. Whether it was a cost ‐ saving measure in materials or construction time, the preventative maintenance required to ensure that the facility meets minimum standards has been a concern for some time. As far back as the 2007 annual inspection, there were doubts that the facility would last much longer. Jails are not wine, and they do not improve with age. 836 Austin Street, Suite 203, Hempstead, Texas 77445 979.826.7700 Facsimile: 979.826.2112

Please keep me informed on the status of your continuing efforts. I know that the focus has been on operation and management of the jail, but do not neglect the physical plant. As I stated at the meeting, you are classified “at ‐ risk” and subject to special inspections… Failure to meet minimum standards, for any reason, will result in my recommendation to begin remedial action.” A copy of this letter is available for review on the Bond Information web page. Question: What is the current cost per year to operate the current Jail? Answer: See below from WC Auditing Department on the costs to operate the current jail: 2015 ‐ $1,821,073 2016 ‐ $1,941,576 2017 ‐ $2,082,568 2018 ‐ $2,233,565 (Projected in Budget) Budget is increasing at about 7% a year. Which is roughly the same as the construction cost escalation per year of 6%. 836 Austin Street, Suite 203, Hempstead, Texas 77445 979.826.7700 Facsimile: 979.826.2112

Question: If a new jail is built, what will be the expected operating cost per year? Answer: We estimate that the cost to operate the New Jail in 2020 would be very close to the same as today. With a more efficient floor plan (pod vs linear), there may be savings on reduced staff. The County will realize cost savings by cutting ninety percent (90%) of current building maintenance costs, resulting in a savings of approximately $130,000 a year. We would estimate the New Jail Operating cost to be approximately $2,100,000 to operate in 2020. Question: What would the cost of operating the Jail be in the event of a Jail shut down? Answer: The costs to operate would not be reduced by much. In fact, some expenses will increase. The savings that will be realized from a jail shut down: $150,000 no longer needed for building maintenance $160,000 no longer needed for food $35,000 on furniture and equipment Resulting in a total savings of approximately $345,000. However, the County will still have to budget and spend approximately $1,900,000 in relation to jail operations in the event of a shutdown. The Sheriff’s Office is still located inside of the Waller County Jail and will have to continue operation. 836 Austin Street, Suite 203, Hempstead, Texas 77445 979.826.7700 Facsimile: 979.826.2112

Jail staff will still be required for transportation of inmates and guarding inmates in neighboring county jails in some instances. All other customary inmate items, such as uniforms, disinfectant, soap, supplies and bedding will have to be provided, even if the inmates are housed elsewhere. A shut down could also create the need for additional transportation officers and vehicles, depending on where inmates have to be relocated to and whether we have to divide inmates amongst multiple counties. Then there is the added cost of a jail shut down to ship the inmates out of Waller County. Using today’s rate charged by Ft. Bend County to house out ‐ of ‐ county inmates, at 80 inmates at a cost of $55 a day, the additional calculated cost in addition to additional transportation costs, at minimum, is an additional $2,406,180 per year. Any increase in the number of inmates or the cost per day would cause this number to increase. Therefore, the total cost to operate the Jail in 2018, in the event of a jail shut down, is conservatively estimated to be in excess of $4,300,000. Thus, after deducting cost savings, the net increase to operate the jail in the event of a shutdown will be $1,855,000 above and beyond what we are currently spending, without any equity or assets to show for this expenditure. Question: If the bond is approved, what is the time schedule to design, build, and begin operating a new Jail? 836 Austin Street, Suite 203, Hempstead, Texas 77445 979.826.7700 Facsimile: 979.826.2112

Answer: Building Design – November 2017 to April/May 2018 Sub and Vendor Bidding – May/June 2018 Break Ground – June 2018 Construction – 18 – 20 Months to January/March of 2020 Operational – March/April 2020 Total Time: Approximately Two and a half years (2 1/2 years or 30 Months) Question: What would the cost be to repair the existing Jail? What would it cost to demolish it? Answer: The existing Jail was built in 1987 and is a complex of Modular Buildings made up almost entirely of metal. Rusting metal cannot be stopped or reversed. It must be removed making repair costs difficult to estimate. Most of the structural and security elements of the Jail are metal that is enclosed in walls and under metal plate flooring. We know that these elements are rusting, but to what extend is difficult to determine without destructive testing. The existing Jail is close to capacity, and sits on one City Block leaving no room for expansion. The Jail would not be able to house inmates during a major repair, for 9 ‐ 12 Months. Any major renovation or repair would require bringing up the existing Jail to Handicapped Accessibility, Energy Code, Fire Code, and modern Texas Jail Standards. The current Jail floor plan and construction type makes complying with all of these standards extremely cost 836 Austin Street, Suite 203, Hempstead, Texas 77445 979.826.7700 Facsimile: 979.826.2112

prohibitive, if not impossible. To demolish the existing Jail and Sheriff’s Department would cost approximately $150,000 ‐ $200,000. Question: If the bond is not approved, and construction of a new jail does not start in 2018, what is the increased cost of building in the future? Answer: Construction costs are escalating at approximately six percent (6%) per year. Six percent of $39,500,000 is $2,370.000 in cost increase in 2019. Based on estimated escalation, below are the costs of building a jail, sheriff’s office, and courtroom in years to follow: 2019 $41,870,000 2020 $44,382,200 2021 $47,045,132 2022 $49,867,839 For the 2 ½ years of anticipated construction duration, 6% escalation has already been accounted for in the $39,500,000 construction cost estimate of this bond amount. Question: In addition to the cost of housing inmates in other counties, is there is a cost of transportation to and from court hearings and trial dates? 836 Austin Street, Suite 203, Hempstead, Texas 77445 979.826.7700 Facsimile: 979.826.2112