Architects meet with Madison Co. leaders to discuss new jail

JACKSON, Tenn. — Madison County leaders met with architects Thursday to find out how much it will cost to design a new jail. The Madison County Correction Partnership Committee met with the architects to go over the contract for their services.

“The proposed contract is $222,800 for the planning conceptual design process,” Madison County Mayor Jimmy Harris said.

The county picked HFR Design out of Nashville and Rosser International Inc. out of Atlanta to help design the facility.

Sammy West, an architect with HFR Design, said the $222,800 contract pays for planning, meeting with jail employees and county leaders. “Determine what their needs are and start associating square footages with that, decide how big of a building they need for the number of beds,” West said.

Harris said he is not sure how much the whole project will cost but said the county can borrow up to $30 million without requiring a tax increase. When asked if raising taxes is a possibility, Harris responded, “Absolutely not.”

“No one has any interest in raising taxes on the County Commission,” Madison County Commission Chairman Gary Deaton said. “If you want somebody to raise taxes, you’re going to have to elect some different people.”

Harris said the county attorney still has to review the proposed contract, which he hopes will go before the entire commission in August.

Architects said this initial contract would just cover the cost of the first two phases, which are deciding what is necessary. West said phase three includes the drawings and documents required to bid out the project, another expense he could not say how much will cost.