Public commenter asks about jail costs; county official says final design pending, aims for about $130 million

A resident, Nate Stout, used the meeting's public-comment period to ask Howard County officials for an update on the county jail project, saying he had heard widely varying cost estimates.

"I hear a 110,000,000. I heard a 150,000,000 the other day," Nate Stout said, asking whether the county had settled on a figure or procurement plan.

A county official (recorded in the transcript as a committee member) responded that the county has not finished the final design and is in the early stages of securing financing and completing the bonding process. The official said the county's internal goal is to hold total project costs to about $130 million or below; at the last finance meeting the estimate was about $130.9 million.

The official also said the county plans to present information about the jail at the State of the County meeting on April 15 and will hold a contractors' night to let local firms view project elements and consider bidding. The official emphasized a preference to use local contractors where practical, noting the county will expect competitive bids.

The transcript does not provide a final cost, a completed design, or a schedule for contract award; county officials said those steps remain in progress and that the financing process will take several months.