Cochise County's new jail project is $30 million over budget before groundbreaking

For Tucsonans who travel to, work in, or have family in Cochise County, the region’s planned jail project is becoming a closely watched public spending issue. The facility has not yet begun construction, but its projected price has risen by about $30 million, from an original estimate of approximately $130 million to roughly $160 million. County officials say the increase reflects higher construction and infrastructure expenses, raising questions about how the project will be financed and whether further cost changes could follow before work starts.

Cochise County Sheriff Mark Dannels said officials have been trying to reduce the project’s scope and find savings, but those efforts have not been enough to keep the jail within its initial budget. The original estimate was developed years ago, before the county brought the jail district tax to voters. Since then, the cost of building materials, fuel and other construction needs has increased substantially. Dannels said the county would have been close to its target if the facility had been built five years earlier, but current prices have put the project well beyond that estimate.

Construction bids and preliminary contractor estimates are also contributing to the higher projection. Board of Supervisors Chair Frank Antenori said the county’s buyer’s representative has received early estimates from potential contractors that are significantly more expensive than officials expected. Antenori and Dannels cited diesel, concrete and steel among the expenses that have risen. Those increases affect both the jail structure itself and the work required to prepare the property for construction.

Site preparation is expected to be a major part of the additional expense. Officials estimate that clearing native plants and creating a level foundation will cost about $20 million. The county must complete that work before the jail can be built, adding a substantial infrastructure bill before the main facility even takes shape. Dannels described the project as carrying costs at every stage, from preparing the soil to constructing the building.

Antenori also connected the price increase to the jail’s chosen location. He said he did not support putting the facility there and had preferred another site, making him the only supervisor to advocate for a different location. While he did not elaborate on the site’s specific problems, he said he believes the location is associated with the project’s higher costs. His comments place the current budget debate within a longer disagreement over where the county should build its new detention facility.

The project’s supporters say the county is trying to address long-term needs rather than pursue a temporary fix. Dannels has argued that the jail should be built to serve Cochise County for years, instead of creating a short-term facility that would quickly require additional work or replacement. That goal remains in place despite the higher price, although the increase means county officials must continue weighing the desired capacity and durability of the facility against what the county can afford.

The budget problem emerged before the first major construction phase. Cochise County is now working to choose a contractor for clearing the native plants from the site. That selection is the next identified step toward preparing the property, but the county has not begun groundbreaking on the jail itself. The current $160 million estimate therefore represents a project still in its preconstruction stage, with site work, contractor pricing and broader construction expenses continuing to shape the final cost.

The price increase also illustrates the difficulty of relying on older estimates for major public projects. A figure that officials considered workable when voters were asked to approve the jail district tax no longer matches the bids and preliminary pricing being reviewed today. County leaders have not announced a new financing plan or described any additional tax action in the information available, but the gap between the original estimate and the current projection has made the jail’s next steps more consequential for Cochise County residents and others who follow regional public spending.

Dannels acknowledged that discussing the overrun was unwelcome but said it reflects the county’s current reality. Officials now face the task of deciding how to proceed with a project that they say is needed, while managing a projected cost roughly 23 percent higher than the original estimate. Until a site-clearing contractor is selected and construction pricing becomes more definite, the $160 million figure may remain a working projection rather than a final total. For now, the jail remains unbuilt, but its budget has already changed substantially.