CORYELL COUNTY, Texas (KXXV) — The cost of running the Coryell County Jail continues to rise, and county leaders say it remains one of the biggest expenses in the budget.
Two years ago, officials determined the jail did not have enough beds to meet demand. Voters rejected a bond for a new facility, leading the county to expand the existing one.
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“The reality of it is, there is a cost for law enforcement. There's a cost for the judicial system, and ultimately, there's a cost for the state when you talk about incarceration of people long term,” Coryell County Judge Roger Miller said.
The expansion meant more inmates to feed and care for, while still housing dozens outside the county.
This budget season, those expenses amount to roughly a penny more on the tax rate compared to a few years ago.
“A percentage can be very misleading. When we look at 2025, that number was about 5.9 million. When we're looking at our proposed budget for 2026, it's 5.95 million. That slight increase has an impact on your tax rate,” Miller said.
That $500,000 difference, Miller said, is directly tied to jail operations.
“The thing that got me the most, being a resident and taxpayer, is how far the county is behind in the growth schedule and accommodating anything that comes in,” resident Jane Vaughn said.
Vaughn said the problem has been decades in the making.
“It looks like the county has not done any other expansions since 1991,” she said.
Miller said public safety remains the top priority.
“That's what we're facing right now: that balance of costs that are increasing, that are out of our control, versus what we're trying to mitigate that’s within our control, so it has the least amount of impact to our taxpayers while still ensuring that we have a safe environment, safe community, safe county,” Miller said.
Miller is expected to submit the proposed budget by Friday.
