Hays County Commissioners Approve Interlocal Agreement With Fort Bend County

Staff Reports

The Hays County Commissioners voted 5-0 to authorize the County Judge to execute an interlocal agreement between Hays County and Fort Bend County Tuesday.

The interlocal agreement is for the housing and care of Inmates in Fort Bend County jail on behalf of Hays County.

The county will pay Fort Bend $55 per inmate per day for housing and care of inmates.

According to the agenda, the agreement will be effective until September 30, 2020, and is intended to help with the overflow of inmates.

Hays County Jail Administrator Julie Villalpando said Fort Bend is 45 minutes longer of a drive from Hays County to McLennan County.

“Unfortunately, Texas Commission on Jail Standards is a regulatory agency; I am not allowed to keep an overcrowded jail,” Villalpando said. “I have to find other counties that have bed space.”

According to Villalpando, Caldwell County Jail is currently holding 20 inmates on behalf of Hays County, but historically, over the summer months, Hays County’s jail population tends to increase.

Hays County Judge Ruben Becerra said he was not a fan of outsourcing inmates.

“I’m grateful for the sheriff’s office to be giving me the material to read every week,” Becerra said, “To show how we’re, really the way I see it, burning money housing inmates.”

Becerra said a portion of McLennan County Jail has been closed set to close down, which would reduce the number of beds available for Hays County inmates.

Commissioner Mark Jones said the Sheriff’s Office and the commissioners did not like outsourcing inmates either; however, they have no choice due to jail standards and population.  

Hays County’s jail population averaged 548 inmates per day for the week of June 9 thru June 15. The population peaked on June 14 with 555 inmates.

Inmates were outsourced to facilities in Bastrop, Bell, Burnet, Blanco, McLennan, Guadalupe, Caldwell and Walker Counties at a total cost of $75,252.  

Of the inmates outsourced, 13 were female and 158 were male.

Commissioner Debbie Gonzales-Ingalsbe said the Hays County Criminal Justice Coordinating Committee is working on several recommendations, which will be brought to the court in the next couple of weeks.