Council reviews jail options, evidence‑room remodel and police vehicle replacements

City staff asked the council to decide whether the Brookshire Police Department should operate a short‑term holding facility or maintain a fully operational jail, and reported budget items to support evidence‑room work and vehicle replacements.
The presenter described two options: a holding tank for short stays and transport to Waller County, or a fully operational jail requiring a jailer and 24‑hour operations. "A holding tank will require inmates to be held there for not more not 24 hours, but for a few hours and then be transported to Waller County. A fully operational jail will require a jailer...and therefore, the inmate will have to be fed and also monitored," the staff member said.
Staff said money was added to the state forfeiture account to finish remodeling the evidence room and that the council must decide whether to add funds to operate a fully functioning jail. The police department also included requests to replace two pursuit vehicles that have reached the end of their useful life and to consider outsourcing background checks for new hires to shorten a process staff said can take up to two months.
Staff additionally proposed eliminating the police new‑hire incentive pay; the presenter said doing so would save the city about $78,000 per year. No final vote on the jail configuration or the hiring‑incentive elimination occurred during the workshop; staff presented the options and associated budget impacts for council consideration.