The Clark County Council on Tuesday approved reallocating funds to cover a $4.1 million shortfall in the Clark County Jail work center’s medium-security housing unit expansion project after all construction bids came in over budget.
The jail work center expansion was previously budgeted at $19.7 million. However, after receiving three sealed bids, all of which exceeded expectations, the total cost of the project, including bid alternates, came out to $23.7 million. That resulted in the $4.1 million funding gap the council closed on Tuesday.
To make up the difference, the county will repurpose $2.6 million from its Law and Justice Project fund and utilize $1.5 million from a Washington Department of Commerce grant intended for jail renovation efforts.
The Law and Justice Project was initially funded with $10 million in 2023 for early-stage work on expanding and improving the county’s jail, juvenile facility and other justice infrastructure.
“That was for architectural engineering, planning, engineering, bidding, and permitting,” Michelle Schuster, director of internal services, explained. “As we got further into that project... we’re looking at alternates to bring in funding to do the actual jail project.”
Roughly $4.5 million will remain in that fund to address the jail’s aging infrastructure.
The expansion will add 64 beds to the jail through 16 double-occupancy and eight quad-occupancy cells. The project also includes space for visitation, offices, and medical and behavioral health support. A key component is space for MOUD (medications for opioid use disorder), which supports inmate recovery and care.
County staff explained the rising construction bids were the result of volatile market conditions.
“These are sealed bids, and it is based on the lowest bid,” Schuster said. “Unless something unforeseen comes up, they have to do it within this bid that they presented.”
The four bid alternates include a covered walkway between buildings, fencing to expand future capacity, tunable lighting to support inmates’ circadian rhythms, and a drone detection system.
As Councilor Glen Yung raised concerns about escalating project costs, staff emphasized that the scope had already been scaled back.
“This seems to be something that’s happening regularly where we’re not anticipating the cost of construction, which I think we’re not alone in having that struggle, but at what point do we look at these higher expenses and look where we can potentially scale back to stay within our budget? Have we looked at that?” Yung asked.
Staff confirmed the project had been scaled down from 82 beds to 64 to fit in the medical and behavioral health support.
While the expansion helps address current capacity needs, the county’s long-term plan for a broader jail renovation remains unfunded. Officials said future efforts may rely on securing additional state funding or placing a bond measure on the ballot. Until then, the remaining Law and Justice Project funds will serve as a flexible reserve to support planning, technology upgrades, or early infrastructure work as those larger plans develop, according to county staff.
