'We're Short On The Money:' County Commissioners Discuss New Jail Funding, Lawsuit Against City Of OKC

Oklahoma County Commissioners discussed the status of plans for the new county jail at their meeting Tuesday morning.

As controversy over where to put the jail persists, commissioners are also now discussing how to pay for the project once it gets underway and saying they're hundreds of millions of dollars short.

"We know that we're short on the money coming up. Even though the voters approved a package just two and a half years ago, you know, it's going to need to be more," Oklahoma County Commissioner Brian Maughan said.

A bond passed by voters two and a half years ago covers about $260 million but Maughan says the project could now cost anywhere from $400 to $600 million due to inflation.

"It can't be a surprise to you that the price of lettuce is double what it was two years ago. Similarly, so are construction projects," he said.

The current chunk of funding would only cover 700 beds in the new jail while a recent count of detainees in the current jail sits at 1600.

Commissioners voted to allow the Bond Oversight Committee time to evaluate potential ways to bring in more funding. "If we can get any of this put together with an all the above strategy, we might be able to come closer to narrowing that gap, even if we do have to go forward and ask the public for another tax, it will have shortened that gap considerably, I hope," he said.

Commissioners also discussed the lawsuit filed against the City of Oklahoma City after councilmembers denied zoning permits for the East Grand Boulevard jail site. "We're dying a death in the litigation on the lawsuit timeline," Maughan said.

After an executive session, commissioners voted to allow the district attorney to begin settlement negotiations with the City in a 2-1 majority.

"Any way that we can get that shortened and get back to the actual construction, the jail will only benefit both communities," Maughan said.

He added Commissioners are hopeful they can reach a truce with the City and continue forward with the project.

County commissioners will meet on Monday, September 9 but the agenda has not been published yet.