SACRAMENTO, Calif. — After an intense two-day debate, the Sacramento Board of Supervisors voted to approve an estimated $450 million addition to the downtown main jail.
Officials say this is needed, but the conversation has not come without controversy.
Supervisor Phil Serna says the courts are requesting to reduce jail population and address adverse historic conditions in the building.
But there are a lot of moving parts and the decision to move forward with this was not easy.
"By putting more money into the system, we're doing nothing to invest in prevention strategies to help folks never even have to encounter this harm in the first place," said one community member during a public comment.
The vote to add a new annex to the downtown Sacramento jail location started as a heated conversation Wednesday morning and ended midday Thursday in the board of supervisors' chamber.
"In my 12 years now serving on the board of supervisors, this was definitely up there as probably the most difficult consideration that the board members have faced," said Serna.
The project is to ensure the jail complies with the lawsuit known as Mays v. County of Sacramento.
The lawsuit alleges the county failed to provide constitutionally-required mental health, medical care and Americans with Disabilities Act compliance.
Today the board voted to construct an intake and health services facility on the main jail's Bark lot. It's intended to provide better mental health outcomes.
But Phil Serna says he voted no on spending nearly half a billion dollars on the new annex to the jail.
"At the cost of about $50 million a year, in terms of debt service. That $50 million a year would come from our general fund, even despite the size of the county budget," said Serna. "This would really, in my estimation, tie our hands in terms of how we may use those funds elsewhere."
But the vote still passed.
Last night, Sacramento Sherriff-elect Jim Cooper said he's in support of alternatives to incarceration.
"I'm in support of building a new facility as compliant. I'm also in support of a facility that is also conducive to rehabilitation. However, that facility must plan for potential growth, unknown legislation and propositions. One solution without the other will fail," said Cooper.
The board of supervisors also passed jail population reduction plans in another vote.
Serna says he voted for these which include: enhance citations, field release protocols and establish a team dedicated to risk assessments and screening protocols.
In the end, Serna says he's confident this will be in benefit those in the jail system.
"I think that our staff are extraordinarily talented people. They really did what we asked of them, which is to give us options and tell us how those options are going to meet the expectations of the consent decree," said Serna.
The county staff report also says these improvements would extend the life of the jail by another 50 years.
Watch more from ABC10: Sacramento County Board of Supervisors to vote on jail expansion after debate wears into the night
