Montgomery County plans to commit about $31.5 million in bonds to build a secure mental health facility for criminal defendants in Conroe.

Montgomery County Commissioners Court approved its intent to finance the limited tax revenue bonds to build a 100 bed facility adjacent to the Joe Corley Detention Center on Hilbig Road.

The facility would house inmates committed through the courts, such as those incompetent to stand trial or those found guilty by reason of insanity.

The bonds will not be sold until the county signs a contract with the state to fund operations of the facility. Through a rider attached to the 2010 state budget, Montgomery County is the only county in the state that can qualify for $15 million to operate a facility for two years. That contract is expected to be signed next month, said Linda Breazeale, a financial consultant to Commissioners Court.

The contract would include expenses to pay the debt on the facility, Breazeale said.

County Auditor Phyllis Martin said construction has already begun on the new facility and the notice of intent was needed to ensure that the county would be reimbursed for expenses from the future certificate.

The facility would provide an alternative to Rusk State Hospital for the region, which is often closed because of overcrowding forcing criminal defendant to be transported to Vernon near the Oklahoma border. This will allow more sheriff’s deputies to remain within the county’s boundaries.

The facility is expected to be operated by GEO Cares, Inc., which operates similar mental health facilities in Florida.

This is the second facility in the county that is being built to meet future needs, but will be financed by leasing space to other state or federal agencies. The county paid to build the Joe Corley Detention Facility, which is being used for federal inmates and detainees from the U.S. Marshall Service and the Immigration and Customs Enforcement Agency.

The Joe Corley Detention Center is managed by GEO Group, the parent company of GEO Cares.

Secure Mental Health Facility in Conroe

Montgomery County is building a secure mental health facility for criminal defendants in Conroe and plans to pay for its operations through state funding from the Texas Department of State Health Services. Following are the key features of the project:
• Build a 100 bed facility adjacent to the Joe Corley Detention Center on Hilbig Road.
• Located on 61 acres
• Houses inmates committed through the courts, such as those incompetent to stand trial or those found guilty by reason of insanity
• Managed and operated by GEO Cares, Inc, a subsidiary of GEO Group which operates the Corley detention center.
• Designed and built by Alliance Construction
• Operations funded by $15 million from the Texas Department of Health Services
Source: Montgomery County