Comal County Commissioners will consider approving more construction project change orders and an agreement to board offenders from another county during their weekly meeting on Thursday.
They will consider an additional $213,949 for the first changes involved with Comal County Sheriff’s Office renovations that will merge the old county jail into the Fellers Law Enforcement Center on San Antonio Street.
Most of it will go toward adding 20 new offices in lieu of county owned and installed cubicles.
The total will be subtracted from county contingency in the $12.434 million project, leaving it with $379,000 remaining. It does not change the projected substantial completion date, April 14, 2022.
SpawGlass Contractors, also in charge of that project, will see $19,850 subtracted from its project contingency in the Courthouse Annex project, which will see the county’s share increase by another $94,424 after commissioners approve the 10th change order for that project.
Previous orders have increased Annex renovations by $998,759; Thursday’s approval will increase the cost to $11.978 million but not affect the substantial completion date of July 12.
The county will consider an agreement with Coryell County to house its prisoners inside Comal’s new 582-bed lockup, which was 62% occupied on Monday. In February, it approved an agreement with Hays County to outsource up to 96 offenders as the county finishes expanding its 30-year-old lockup.
The county is charging $65 per day for each inmate it boards, $20 more than it paid outside entities that boarded excess Comal offenders at the overcrowded former 337-bed jail that will soon be merged into CCSO’s newly renovated headquarters.
Sheriff Mark Reynolds has said the Texas Commission on Jail Standards has set a 90% threshold for the maximum number of offenders inside the facility. The county, awaiting delays in federal processing, still wants to complete a detention services agreement with the U.S. Department of Justice to board U.S. Marshal’s Service offenders in the jail.
After receiving the COVID-19 update, entertaining comments from citizens and reports from county staffers and elected officials on items of community interest, commissioners will also discuss and consider approving:
• Amended plats combining lots in portions of the Canyon Lake Hills, Inland Estates, Rocky Creek Ranch and Rebecca Creek Park subdivisions.
• Acceptance of completed road and storm water drainage improvements in seven units of Phase 3 of the 4S Ranch subdivision, accept the roads into the county road system for maintenance and releases of associated developer surety.
• Acceptance of completed road and storm water drainage improvements in one unit of the Park Village subdivision in Bulverde; accept the roads into the county road system for maintenance and release of associated developer surety.
• A request involving use of unclaimed property capital credits. Texas law allows counties to claim a portion of unclaimed capital credits originating from their county and use them for specific programs. The posted agenda did not indicate the agency with unclaimed credits or what purposes they would serve the county.
• Texas DPS Law Enforcement Support Office (LESO) 1033 Program and State Plan of Operations agreements between the state and the CCSO and the Precinct 3 constable’s office.
• Utilizing Justice Court Technology Funds for the Precinct 4 Justice of the Peace’s purchase of an Elmo Document Camera.
Commissioners meet at 8:30 a.m. in Commissioners Courtroom, 100 Main Plaza in New Braunfels. Thursday’s meeting will be live streamed to the public. To access the video and meeting agenda, visit www.co.comal.tx.us/agenda.htm.