Amanda Pevey
Elmore Autauga News
The Elmore County Commission is moving forward with plans for a new county jail after receiving a recommendation to accept a low bid of $69.9 million from Fite Building Company, a project county leaders say is necessary to address overcrowding, aging infrastructure, and future public safety needs.
Commissioners discussed the project during a recent meeting, emphasizing that the current jail has exceeded its intended capacity and no longer meets the county’s long-term needs.
Commissioner Henry Hines said the existing jail was built in 1995 and designed to house about 242 inmates. Today, he said, the facility contains approximately 320 inmates, creating overcrowded conditions.
County officials said the new facility is needed to provide a safer environment for correctional officers, inmates, and the public.
Chairman Bart Mercer said funding for the project comes from three revenue measures that were part of the county’s broader Enhance Elmore initiative. Mercer noted that two other proposed revenue sources, a vape tax and property assessment increases, failed to gain approval.
“The vehicle tag fee, the countywide levelized sales tax, and the countywide levelized rental tax are the three revenue streams being are what are funding construction of the new jail.”
“If those other two revenue streams had passed, we would have been able to build a bigger jail that would have accommodated our needs for 30 years,” Mercer said. “It would have also given additional money for the Sheriff’s Department, for our roads and bridge maintenance, and also our fire departments.”
Mercer said county leaders knew a new jail would eventually be required but lacked the resources to fund such a project through the county’s regular budget.
“Our entire plan, we knew we had to build a jail,” Mercer said. “We had no choice. We could not go into our budget and build a jail. That money is just not there.”
The new facility will be constructed behind the Elmore County Judicial Complex in Wetumpka. Construction is expected to begin in late July or early August and will take approximately three years to complete.
Commissioner Dennis Hill said the county’s court system continues to place demands on the jail’s capacity.
“Our judges in this county like putting people in jail,” Hill said. “They do not play around.”
Hill also pushed back on the perception that the county had sufficient funds available for the project without the county implementing the three new revenue streams.
“Some people may ask, ‘Y’all had plenty of money to do this,’” Hill said. “No, we do not have plenty of money. If it had not been for those three revenue measures, we would not be doing this now.”
During the meeting, Commissioner Desirae Lewis-Jackson questioned county officials about Fite Building Company’s experience with detention facilities.
Chief Operations Officer Luke McGinty said the company was required to submit documentation of previous projects and meet specific qualifications before being allowed to bid.
“There were certain requirements they had to meet, and they met all of them,” McGinty said.
Lewis-Jackson also asked why the county could not simply expand the existing jail.
McGinty said county leaders evaluated that option but determined it was not cost-effective.
“The current jail is 30 years old,” McGinty said. “It does not have some amenities like air conditioning. If we added a new facility that has air conditioning and the other facility does not, that would lead to problems.”
McGinty said renovation costs were comparable to constructing a new housing pod, making new construction the better long-term investment.
“If we did that, we would spend almost the same amount and still have a 30-year-old building,” McGinty said. “With a new facility, you get new plumbing, new electrical, and new HVAC systems.”
County leaders said the new jail will include detention space, medical services, administrative offices, food service operations, laundry facilities, and support areas for staff. The facility is also being designed to allow for future expansion.
When completed, the jail will house approximately 480 inmates. Plans also include the ability to add another housing pod in the future.
County officials said the project represents one of the largest infrastructure investments in recent county history and is intended to meet Elmore County’s detention needs for years to come while providing a safer facility for inmates and staff.
