MARYSVILLE – The city has a “footprint” for a new jail. Problem is, it’s a size 14, and the city wants a size 6.

Consultants KMD Architects did a study on the Public Safety Building and reported to the City Council at a work session June 1 that a new one would cost $39 million at the same site or $48 million on a different one.

Mayor Jon Nehring called the cost “shocking.”

Chief Administrative Officer Gloria Hirashima said, “Cost is a huge issue,” adding she was looking for something in the $10 million to $15 million range.

Police Chief Rick Smith called the plan a “footprint, but this thing can absolutely be scaled back.”

Consultant Nick Kollios reminded city employees that the new building would last the city for 20 years.

“Let’s not shoot ourselves in the foot five years down the road” and build something that won’t satisfy our needs, he said.

KMD did a similar study for the city in 2003, recommending expansion and remodel, but it never happened.

“There’s always a cost of doing nothing,” Kollios said. “Jails are not cheap to build or cheap to run. Don’t let it slide.”

Hirashima said she didn’t know why nothing was done after the previous study, but she is glad because there were severe flaws in that report. It did not take into account infrastructure issues, such as a mix of concrete and wood.

“Had we spent that money, we’d still be in the same place we are today,” she said.

Hirashima said the city originally had hoped the previous study could just be updated.

But even Kollios said structural renovations would be costly.

“Wood bends, concrete doesn’t,” he said.

Hirashima said in a phone interview June 3 that the consultants went beyond what the city critically needs and looked at ideals. But the city can only afford a jail fix. A building for police administration will need to be looked at separately at another time, just like all city facilities will need to be studied at some point.

Nehring asked if there is any way they could make the jail, “less plush. We don’t care how attractive it is to inmates.”

But consultant Vern Almon said, “It’s pretty close to bare bones.”

Hirashima said one thing the city could do to make the jail last longer is to stop taking prisoners from other communities, such as Arlington and Lake Stevens.

“That would buy yourself some time,” Kollios said.

Nehring said although it would be up to the council, he would recommend to stop contracting rather than build such a costly project.

“We need to get our prisoners off the streets,” he said.

Smith said ending the contracts wouldn’t break his heart.

“It’s not a money-making business at all,” the chief said.

The Public Safety Building was built in 1988 when the city was 6,000 in population. At the time, “everything was down there,” Hirashima said, including courts, police, council, etc. The jail had 18 beds.

About 27 years later it is now approximately 60,000. It 20 years, the population will be an estimated 90,000.

Since the city will grow by 37 percent, it makes sense that the number of inmates would grow by the same amount, Kollios said. That would mean 70 are needed now and 113 by 2030.

He said the jail is overcrowded and does not meet industry standards. He also said another 1.4 acres would be needed if a facility was built on the existing site, even once the fire department moves as planned.

The current jail has a 57-bed capacity, although the industry standard would only allow 34. The consultants are recommending  one with 64 beds, 128 if the cells are double bunked.

KMD representatives said the building is designed to keep staff size efficient, saying the city will need to jump from its current 68 to 100 officers in the next 20 years.

The report says there is 1.09 police staff for every 1,000 city residents. To compare, Pasco, a city of similar size, has 14 more officers. An annexation in the city in 2009 led to a 70 percent increase in residents, but only an 11 percent increase in officers. Increased calls mean less time to spend on crime prevention, the study says.

Hirashima said, “There’s still a lot more to be evaluated as we move forward.”

“The building is getting old, outdated and needs attention,” council member Donna Wright wrote in an email June 2. “Our population has increased so we need to be preparing for the present and future needs now, even taking small steps or phases to make upgrades.”

Council member Michael Stevens said, “My personal feeling is that the City should evaluate our current policies and then look at options that are scaled back, possibly phased development, and more targeted to our city’s needs, from what the presenters illustrated in the meeting.”

Council member Kamille Norton recently toured the jail with fellow members Stevens and Jeff Vaughan.

“I don’t believe we are in crisis or emergency mode, but I do think it is time to act and to make some decisions so that public safety is not compromised in the future,” she wrote in an email June 3. “There is a solution to be found, but it will require identifying our funding capacities, and exploring more options, ideas and potential phases of growth and expansion of our jail facility.”