Supervisors to Weigh $22-Million Jail Plan

The 384-bed expansion of the Theo Lacy Branch Jail being proposed by the Sheriff’s Department will cost about $22 million, according to a report released Monday.

The Board of Supervisors is scheduled this morning to consider the proposal, which would mark the county’s first major jail construction effort in nearly a decade.

The Sheriff’s Department plans to pay for the project largely with revenue from Proposition 172, the statewide half-cent sales tax that benefits law enforcement agencies. Money from the state’s law enforcement services program as well as the Inmate Welfare Fund also will be tapped, according to the report.

If the board approves the proposal, the department will return within six months for an expedited construction plan designed to expand the jail as quickly as possible.