Bigger Jail, Bigger Bill

The San Mateo County Board of Supervisors stand on the brink of making a couple approvals Tuesday that could significantly impact the size and cost of a new jail.

At the board meeting Tuesday morning in Redwood City, supervisors will be asked to approve Sheriff Greg Munks' request to submit a preliminary application for a grant from California that would help pay for a portion of construction costs.

Up to $100 million in grant funding can be requested from the state, according to public records.

The total cost to build the new jail is estimated to be between $100 million and $165 million. The construction cost is independent from the anticipated annual operating expense of nearly $44 million, said the report.

Supervisor Dave Pine has expressed concerns in the past about approving the jail's construction during a time when the county grapples with an ongoing $50 million deficit.

If the county receives the grant money, it could reduce jail-related debt by almost 60 percent. But in order to receive the state money, local jurisdictions would be required to match 10 percent of the total awarded amount, according to a county report.

Preliminary applications for the grant are due October 14. Formal applications are due January 4, 2012 and the money will be awarded the following month.

Much of the final cost to build the jail will be contingent on its size, and supervisors are expected to make a decision regarding the scope of the project tomorrow as well. According to a county report three variations of the plan exist. (See photos for artist renderings)

Sheriff Munks is recommending supervisors greenlight a plan to build a jail with the capacity to hold between 488 and 552 beds for inmates. This option is known as Option B.

It would be three stories tall, standing at 72 feet high, with between 320 and 384 of the beds for male inmates, and 168 for female inmates.

The plan leaves some floor space empty, so more jail cells can be added later.

Alongside this jail tower, a 40-foot-tall building would be built.  It would house 88 beds as part of an inmate transition program that is dedicated to assisting former inmates readjust back into society after serving their time.

Much of the impetus to build the new jail is generated by growing concerns of the Sheriff's Office regarding limited space for inmates.  The county's current jail houses about 1,100 inmates, which is nearly 300 more people than the facilities are constructed to accommodate, Sheriff Munks has said.

And due to state budget concerns, Governor Jerry Brown has approved sending non-violent prisoners currently jailed in state facilities back to local county jurisdictions. Under the state approved "realignment," about 400 inmates currently held in state facilities for convictions of non-violent crimes will land back in San Mateo County for the rest of their sentence.

The relocation of inmates was scheduled to begin taking place on October 1.

Last year, the county purchased 4.8 acres of land east of Highway 101 in Redwood City as a site to build the new jail.

The Board of Supervisors will meet at 9 a.m. in the County Center in Redwood City to address these issues, and more.