Williamson County weighs $7M Florence property for future jail complex

“Today is not a decision of, ‘This is going to be the property. This is where we're going to move the Jail and Justice Center,’” Covey said. “It's actually just the next step so that we can do our due diligence and see if it is. If it's not, then we would continue looking.”

Covey and Precinct 2 Commissioner Cynthia Long voted in favor of approving the contract, while County Judge Steven Snell and Precinct 4 Commissioner Russ Boles voted against it, with Precinct 1 Commissioner Terry Cook absent from court.

The discussion

Snell said officials with law enforcement, the Sheriff’s Office and the jail have concerns with the site in Florence.

“I don't understand why we would move forward on a contract for a piece of land if we're not 100% certain this is where we want the jail to go and we've worked out those logistics,” Snell said.

Covey argued officials won’t know the site’s viability until due diligence is done, which is a process where prospective buyers determine if a property meets their needs before moving forward with purchase.

“We can't get on the property to do that due diligence or even talk about it more fully unless we have it under contract,” Covey said.

After the motion to approve the contract failed, Snell said he prefers ensuring county officials have the proper relocation site for the future Jail and Justice Center before Williamson County moves forward with a purchase.

“You can get permission access to property and do due diligence before you get it under contract,” Snell said.

The backstory

On Dec. 17, county commissioners agreed to begin surveying possible sites to relocate the Williamson County Jail and Justice Center from its current location in downtown Georgetown due to space constraints.

Covey previously told Community Impact she believes the county can build a new Jail and Justice Center by 2030 to serve citizens through 2050, and that it would remain in the county seat of Georgetown.

“We need land large enough to be able to expand as we need to over the decades as the county grows out and really fills in,” Covey said July 15.

According to local government code, all jails must be located within 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 Commissioners Court.

The only county-operated jail is the current downtown facility located at 306 W. Fourth St., Georgetown, a Williamson County official said in an email to Community Impact.

A new Jail and Justice Center complex could range between $600 million-$800 million, Community Impact previously reported.

“Finding a location for a jail is quite complicated,” Covey said July 15. “I'm really disappointed that this didn't happen, at least to be able to make a better decision.”

Also on the agenda

Williamson County commissioners unanimously approved a nearly $14 million agreement with project management firm Kitchell to provide expertise in the planning and transition for the future Jail and Justice Center complex, per county documents.

County commissioners are considering scheduling a special work session to discuss the Jail and Justice Center master plan program more in depth at a later date.