Commission Approves New DeKalb County Jail Site on Smith Road
The existing DeKalb County Jail is located in the middle of downtown Smithville, Tenn. County commissioners voted on June 23 not to build the new jail at the site of the existing facility. Photo Credit: Tennessee Jail Roster
SMITHVILLE, Tenn.—After months of deliberation and cost analysis, DeKalb County commissions voted on June 23 to move forward with plans to construct a new county jail on a 71.5-acre parcel along Smith Road. The commissioners voted 10-2 to accept the Jail Committee’s recommendation to eliminate the current downtown jail site from consideration and 9-3 in favor of purchasing the new property, as long as results from core drilling on the new property are favorable.
The decision follows years of discussion and slow progress, with a recent cost comparison led by the Alpharetta, Ga.,-based architecture firm Treanor, and Brentwood, Tenn.,-based contractor Bell Construction. The cost comparison outlined four scenarios for jail construction: a 152-bed or 200-bed facility at either the existing downtown site or the proposed Smith Road location. The estimates showed that opting for the new site could save the county between $8.6 million and $9.3 million. A 152-bed facility at the Smith Road site is projected to cost around $28.2 million, while a 200-bed option could cost $34.5 million. For comparison, the same bed counts at the downtown site were estimated at $36.8 million and $43.8 million, respectively.
In addition to the lower construction costs, the new facility would be built as a one-story structure, while the downtown option would require a more complex and expensive two-story design on account of space limitations.
To finance the property purchase, the Commission also approved a 12-year capital outlay note to be repaid through the county’s debt service fund. That motion passed 9-3. The final vote by the commissioners was to issue a 12-year note not to exceed $35 million to fund construction of the jail, which was passed 8-4.
A 51-cent property tax increase that was passed in 2024 to support debt service for the jail construction will remain in place. The county’s budget committee is expected to determine how much of that revenue will be needed and present a recommendation to the full committee in the coming weeks.