Howard County commissioners approved a $160,000 contract with Port Arthur consulting firm Carl R. Griffith and Assoc. Tuesday afternoon in hopes of streamlining the design and operation of a new county jail facility.

The decision came a day after the firm, which the county contracted with for a study to determine ways to speed up the criminal justice system for $25,000, made it’s final presentation to the court.

In addition to the criminal justice study, County Judge Mark Barr told commissioners in July the company was willing to act as a consultant on the design and construction of a new county jail at the tune of 2 percent of the bond, which is expected to be put before voters in November.

Based on earlier construction estimates of just more than $10 million for the proposed facility, Carl R. Griffith and Assoc. would have charged a fee of more than $200,000.

“They have agreed to go with a flat rate,” Barr told commissioners. “If the bond doesn’t pass, then they will just charge us for their time and travel expenses, letters, e-mails and such.”

Barr said he’s unsure how much “time and travel” could amount to if voters turn down the bond on election day.

“I wouldn’t expect it to be more than $10,000,” said Barr.

Commissioner Jerry Kilgore said the overall savings the consulting firm could bring to the table vastly outweigh the risks.

“I would support this if I didn’t think we could save a lot more than what we’ll be paying them,” Kilgore told the court.

Barr and the commissioners voted unanimously in favor of hiring the consulting group, which includes Dick Kirkland, a former sheriff of Reno, Nev., and Griffith, who is a former county judge.

Commissioners also heard a presentation from Sheriff Dale Walker Tuesday concerning a plan that could help spell financial relief for the county, which continues to struggle with budgetary shortfalls in the millions of dollars.

“We (county department heads) have the same goal you do — to do the best we can with what we have,” Walker told commissioners. “The employees that are being laid off are career-minded employees, and a layoff can spell disaster for a family or a career. I just want the court to keep that in mind.

“Housing out-of-county inmates can be a serious money-making business. Bailey County built a 96-bed facility and houses no more than 15 inmates from their county, and is currently planning a 48-bed expansion. Their sheriff’s office budget is $1.16 million, and contract inmate revenue is more than $763,000. That’s 66 percent of their budget being paid for through contract revenue. The jail opened in 2004, and is now paid off. By 2008, they expect it will be totally self sufficient, bringing in revenue to cover 100 percent of the sheriff’s office expenses.”

According to Walker, within a 200-mile radius of Howard County there are currently 25 counties in need of contract jail beds, and within the same boundaries there are nine contract facilities that are full and only eight that are still taking contract inmate housing contracts.

The problem isn’t just spread out among Texas counties, according to Walker, who said there’s a growing need in Big Spring as well.

“Both Cornell Corrections and Big Spring Federal Correctional Institution have expressed a great interest in utilizing beds here in Howard County,” said Walker. “They have inmates that are being held on state charges and are housing an average of 50 each month to county jails. And, thanks to immigration reform, they say those numbers are expected to grow.”

Walker said looking at the geographic layout of Howard County in respect to other counties in need of jail beds, the construction of a new jail could pull the county out of its budgetary hole.

“There are 83 counties in Texas that are housing their inmates out-of-county,” said Walker. “That’s a huge number, and much larger than I expected to see. If we use 50 to 60 beds for our county’s inmates and use the rest for contracts at $35 a bed — which is extremely low — we’re looking at approximately $500,000 in revenue a year.

“Because of the situation with immigration, there’s a huge demand for jail beds. The federal government pays more than most agencies, as well. Where most counties only pay $40 to $45 a bed per day, the feds pay $50 or more.

“My recommendation to this court is to proceed — and proceed quickly — in getting a new jail for Howard County. Delays cost us all. I say we bring in some money for the county instead of just paying for everything with taxpayer money.”

While the court made no comments on Walker’s proposal, the idea did garner praise from at least one commissioner.

“I appreciate the time and research invested in this,” said Commissioner Bill Crooker.

The commissioner’s court has been struggling with the design and construction of a new county jail for nearly three years.

Contact Staff Writer Thomas Jenkins at 263-7331 ext. 232 or by e-mail at This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it