BILLINGS — Yellowstone County commissioners are discussing asking voters to fund a $227 million bond to expand the jail, a long-term goal that backers say is needed to curb overcrowding.
On Thursday, commissioners met about the plan, which also includes a $15 million operational levy, in front of a packed crowd at Billings City Hall. Comissioners are planning to hold a vote Tuesday asking voters to approve the plan.
"You talk to any cop on the street, you talk to anyone at the jail, we need to build a (bigger jail)," said Yellowstone County Undersheriff Robert Lester said Thursday after the meeting.
See reactions from both Yellowstone County voters and officials about expanding the jail:
The Yellowstone County Detention Facility is overcrowded. The capacity for the jail is 434 inmates, when on average, the jail houses 610 inmates each day.
Expanding the detention facility is a goal that Yellowstone County officials have been working towards for a year and a half. But the future of the $227 million project is still undecided.
On Tuesday, the Yellowstone County Detention Facility housed 625 inmates, with 80 awaiting prison time.
A&E Designs, Justice Planners, and HDR have been working together to form a master plan for the expansion. According to A&E Designs CEO Dusty Eaton, expanding the jail is the most financially feasible decision progressing forward.
In the Thursday meeting, Eaton said that the project would be divided into two phases. First, the jail would expand to house an additional 512 beds, totaling 1,040 for the entire facility. The second phase would add another 512 beds, for a total of 1,552 to accommodate the growing size of Yellowstone County.
The cost of the project is $242 million, including building the expansion and an additional $15 million levy for operational costs, such as staff wages and maintaining the building.
According to Lester, the overcapacity of the jail has significantly impacted operations on a day-to-day basis.
"If I have to repair a cell, and I have to move two inmates that are in that cell, where do I put them?" he said.
Lester noted that the jail has been overcrowded for several decades, and since he started his position 18 years ago, he's never seen the jail house less than 540 inmates at a time.
"The jail's the hub," said Lester. "And if we don't have that wheel working, the jail falls apart."
To combat the issue, earlier this year, the Yellowstone County Sheriff's Office opened a 72-hour holding center on the west end of the detention facility to house inmates with minor charges, such as first offense DUIs, trespassing charges, or shoplifting charges. Before the expansion, people charged with these crimes were not arrested, because there was no space in the detention facility to house them.
Both Lester and Commissioner Mark Morse agree that this 72-hour holding space is merely a temporary solution.
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"About 30% (of short-term inmates) get released the first day, 30% the second day, maybe 30% the third day," said Morse. "But then on the third day, those who don't get released from there, it's either a forced release or they go into the main jail."
At next Tuesday's meeting, Morse said he's interested in hearing the public's opinion on the $227 million bond, the $15 million operational levy and when officials should start building.
According to Yellowstone County Elections Administrator Dayna Causby, the public vote for the bond can take place during the school's election in May, the primary election in June, the general election in November, or commissioners can hold a special election specifically for the bond and levy.
Morse said he's unsure how much the cost of supporting the expansion would impact taxpayers.
"This is a complex issue," he said. "And we're asking the public for a lot of money... The public can say no, we're not going to support a jail expansion... If you say no, we cannot lock up people who deserve to be detained, pending trial, because they're a danger to society."
MTN asked Yellowstone County residents whether they support moving forward with the expansion.
Mason Roberts of Billings told MTN that he does not support the jail expansion. Instead, he would prefer his taxpayer dollars to go towards public infrastructure, resources and accessibility.
Roberts, who spoke with MTN News downtown, emphasized the importance of accessibility to public transportation and restrooms.
"I just believe our taxpayer dollars should go to something else... The jail should just be for, you know, violent offenders... A shoplifter, they can just pay a fine or something like that," he said.
As for six-year Billings resident Jace Molk, he's on the fence about his decision.
"It goes down to who really needs to be jailed and who doesn't," Molk, a DoorDash driver who was working downtown, told MTN. "I would love to see an expansion for high-violent, or high-profile crimes. But, I mean if it's just (a DUI) for an okay-ish substance, then I would say no."
If Yellowstone County commisioners decide Tuesday to place the issue before voters, it could still take several years for the jail's expansion to open.
"It's not going to be overnight," said Lester.
