Texas Commission on Jail Standards Director Adan Munoz said Hays County's two failed jail inspections landed Hays County's Judge, commissioners, and the sheriff in front of the commission.
"The condition of the kitchen is very concerning to me, to the point that I'm going to recommend to this commission that we close your kitchen immediately," he said.
Hays County officials agreed that there was no other option, especially now.
"The only option we have is to fix it, and that's really the only option we have. We have to take care of the issues so we can get back in compliance with the jail commission," Sheriff Tommy Ratliff said.
Ratliff requested the first inspection after initially bringing the problems to the commissioner’s court.
"I'm the third sheriff that's gone before them, and said we need to take care of some things in the jail," he said.
The sheriff said the kitchen problems are caused by soils underneath the building. As things have shifted and settled over the years, the floor in the kitchen is no longer level, meaning water isn't draining properly. Over the years, that has caused a number of other problems.
Moreover, the jail suffers from a leaky roof, crumbling concrete and overcrowding.
County Judge Liz Sumter said the county is actively working for a new jail.
 |  |
 | |  |
| | | | | | | |
Hays County Jail
News 8's Russell Wilde tells us what this means for the county.
 
| | |
| | | | | |
|
"The process of actually looking for land, or deciding whether or not we can use it on land that we already have," she said.
The county has begun the process to repair the roof and address the other problems.
Sheriff Ratliff is frustrated with how long things have taken, but said the jail will be brought up to code.
"I think we certainly got the commissioner's court and the judge's attention," he said.
