Most of the money in the largest building measure on Collin County's Nov. 3 bond ballot would go to the county jail, according to the county's own project list for the $817.5 million package.
Proposition A asks voters for $296.5 million for court and detention facilities. A county presentation on the bond program breaks that into four pieces:
- Jail capacity, $190 million. About 586 beds would be added, some by finishing shell space already built into the jail and the rest in a new housing cluster. The county says the jail runs at or near capacity every day of the year and that it pays to house inmates in other counties' jails. It lists the shell space as finished in 2029 and the new cluster in 2031.
- Courthouse modernization, $50 million. A new roof, replacement of six escalators and 11 elevators, and build-out of about 30,000 square feet of unfinished space for staff in the district attorney's and clerks' offices. The county notes the courthouse is more than 20 years old.
- Adult probation building, $30 million. The probation department would move out of the courthouse into a consolidated facility, which the county projects finishing in 2030. About 1% of the county's adults are on probation, the presentation says.
- Jail modernization, $16.5 million. Replacement of safety systems, heating and cooling equipment and elevators in parts of the jail that are more than 30 years old, spread from 2027 to 2032.
The other three propositions cover roads ($475 million, split between $350 million for regional roadways and $125 million for county roads), parks and open space ($6 million) and a $40 million elections and records building. The county says that building would free up space in the courthouse for criminal justice use.
Each proposition is decided separately. The county's presentation lists early voting from Oct. 19 to 30 ahead of the Nov. 3 election.
2023 courthouse work moves ahead
The ballot measure is separate from courthouse construction already under way with money from the county's 2023 bond. On Monday, Oct. 19, commissioners will consider a $5,749,173 guaranteed maximum price with Crossland Construction for the courthouse expansion. County documents say this first package covers only civil sitework and drilled piers, and that the money comes from 2023 bond funds.
