Oklahoma County does not have enough money to build new jail

OKLAHOMA COUNTY, Okla. (KFOR) - As first reported in The Oklahoman, Oklahoma County does not have nearly enough funds to build the new jail. On Tuesday, the project cost estimates were revealed at the Oklahoma County's Citizens Bond Oversight Advisory Board meeting. 

Developers say the jail could cost anywhere from $610 million to $677 million. However, back in 2022 voters only approved $260 million dollars. That means the county needs to find additional funding or cut costs. 

“We meet with the architectural engineering team, try to understand the scope and the vision. We spent this last week really to just review our assumptions into the design, make sure those were appropriate or not and make corrections,” said a Flintco LLC construction company official at Tuesday's meeting. 

Flintco is the construction company that was hired to build the multimillion-dollar project. An official with the company broke the news on Tuesday, April 23, that the cost of the jail is nearly three times the amount budgeted.  

After reviewing all costs, developers say the cost will be $887 per square foot. 

“We've busted our budget considerably... We need to find some opportunities for savings. And we need to do that fairly fast,” said an Oklahoma County's Citizens Bond Oversight Advisory Board member. 

Back in late February, Oklahoma County Commissioner Myles Davidson told KFOR they were looking at providing between 1,800 and 2,400 beds.  

“I've always aimed at 2,000 beds... We have to have space for them, and we have to be able to do it in a better manner that protects the taxpayer from lawsuits and protects the individual and treats them humanely,” said Myles Davidson, Oklahoma County Commissioner, District 3.  

But according to the new estimates, even if they do plan to just provide 1,800 beds, the county would still be short $390 million. 

“We could easily build for what we need right now. And then the site that we've selected actually allows us to expand as our population expands,” said Davidson. 

Back in February, Davidson expressed he believed they would need hundreds of millions of more dollars to complete the project. 

“We've had 23% inflation and construction has seen as high as 60% inflation on certain products... We've got a big make up that we've got to do... So, it’s how do we get there?” said Davidson.  

Fortunately, the behavioral mental health facility the county plans to build next to the jail is fully funded through ARPA funds, but that’s if the project meets the deadline. 

In a statement to News 4 on Friday, Oklahoma County Commissioner Myles Davidson wrote, “Oklahoma County commissioners are diligently collaborating to pinpoint numbers that optimize resource allocation while safeguarding the integrity of the current budget proposal, ensuring a jail plan that aligns with the county's vision.”