Frequently Asked Questions

The Yellowstone County Detention Facility is operating at more than 50% over its rated capacity. Built in 1986 to hold 434 people, it currently houses more than 600 on a typical day. The proposed expansion would add 320 new beds, modernize the existing building, and create adequate space for staffing, programming, and medical care — designed to meet the county's needs through 2049.

The facility is currently rated for 434 people and regularly houses more than 600 — more than 50% over capacity. The overcrowding has forced attorney meeting rooms to be converted into temporary inmate holding areas, eliminated space for rehabilitation programs, and stretched staffing beyond recommended levels. The county currently operates with 111.5 FTE in a facility that the 2025 Master Plan says should have 243 FTE at current population levels.

County jails hold people who are awaiting trial, awaiting sentencing, or serving short sentences for local offenses. State prisons hold individuals who have been convicted and are serving longer sentences imposed by the court. County jails are funded and managed by local government — this bond is Yellowstone County's responsibility, not the state's.

County jails and state prisons serve different functions and different populations. Under Montana law, counties are responsible for operating their own jails. The state is not responsible for housing pre-trial and locally sentenced individuals — that obligation rests with Yellowstone County.

The total proposed project cost is $175 million for 320 beds.

The proposal has two parts:

• General obligation bond — approximately $13.2 million per year for 20 years, used to pay for design and construction
• Operations levy — approximately $20.4 million per year for 20 years, used to fund staffing, operations, and maintenance of the expanded facility

The combined total is approximately $33.6 million per year. Both the bond and the levy run for 20 years and sunset automatically at the end of their term.

Both the bond and the operations levy are set for 20 years. At the end of 20 years, both expire automatically — no additional vote is required to end them. If voters wish to renew the operations levy after 20 years, that would require a separate future vote.

The figures below are estimates based on 2025 property valuations and an estimated mill rate of 78.02. Actual costs will depend on the final mill rate and your property's assessed value.

The interest rate is not known until the bond is sold, which happens after voter approval. Once sold, the rate is fixed for the full 20-year term.

Your share is based on your property's taxable value relative to all taxable property in Yellowstone County. As new homes and businesses are added to the tax base over time, the per-property share can decrease.

If your property's assessed value rises faster than the county average, your share of the bond and levy increases proportionally. If it rises slower, your share decreases. Property values in Montana are set by the Montana Department of Revenue, not Yellowstone County.

No. The bond and operations levy are dedicated, separate funding sources. They do not redirect money from other county services such as patrol, fire, or road maintenance.

No. The bond covers design and construction only. Staffing costs — including detention officer salaries — are funded through the operations levy, not the bond.

The project combines new construction with renovation of the existing facility. It includes:

• 320 new beds in a direct-supervision housing design
• Dedicated medical housing units
• Dedicated mental health housing units
• Modernized booking and intake areas
• Improved transport and sally port facilities
• Multi-use program space for substance abuse treatment, mental health, life skills, education, and other programming
• Renovation of the existing facility to address deferred maintenance on mechanical, electrical, and plumbing systems

Direct supervision is a jail management model in which staff are physically present inside housing areas, interacting directly with inmates rather than supervising from behind barriers or through remote observation. The model emphasizes continuous visibility and engagement. The current Yellowstone County Detention Facility opened in 1987 as Montana's first Direct Supervision jail and remains the only fully Direct Supervision facility in the state. The proposed expansion continues and extends that model.

The current facility lacks sufficient dedicated space for individuals with significant medical or mental health needs. The new design includes separate housing for those individuals, providing safer conditions for them, reducing strain on the general population, and creating designated space for appropriate care and treatment.

Yes. The project uses a modular construction approach, and the Master Plan projects facility needs through approximately 2049. The design anticipates future expansion needs so that a second phase, if ever needed, would be significantly less expensive.

Yes. The expanded facility includes dedicated multi-use program space — something the current facility lacks entirely. That space is designed to support life skills classes, parenting programs, substance abuse counseling, job readiness, education, and faith-based programming. Currently, the overcrowding has eliminated most programming space from the existing building.

The new design includes updated control rooms with direct sightlines, separate staff corridors to reduce staff-inmate contact in transit areas, and modernized transport and sally port facilities. The expansion also relieves the overcrowding that is the primary source of daily safety risks — when a facility rated for 434 houses 600+, inmates cannot be properly separated by classification, creating situations a properly designed facility avoids by default.

Approximately three years. The project will be phased so that the existing facility continues to operate throughout construction.

If voters approve the bond and levy on November 3, 2026, final design and the public bidding process would follow. Construction is anticipated to begin in late 2027 or 2028, with completion approximately three years after the start of construction.

Contracts are awarded through competitive public bidding as required by Montana law. Yellowstone County intends to provide opportunities for qualified local contractors, suppliers, and workers to participate in the project.

The project will be managed through competitive public bidding, fixed-price contracts, and standard cost-control practices. The bond amount approved by voters is a legal ceiling — the County cannot spend more without a separate public vote.

The facility will remain operational throughout construction. The Sheriff's Office and the construction management team will coordinate phasing to minimize disruption to daily operations.

Montana law restricts voter-approved bond funds to the authorized project only. All spending is subject to competitive public bidding, open Board of County Commissioner meetings, annual independent audits, and public records access.

No. The bond amount approved by voters is a legal ceiling. The County cannot exceed it without a separate public vote.

No. Montana law restricts voter-approved bond funds to the authorized project only. The money cannot be redirected to other county uses.

The Board of County Commissioners has final approval over contracts and major decisions, all of which are made in open public meetings. A design and construction management team coordinates day-to-day project execution with the Sheriff's Office. Annual independent audits are required by law.

Yes. All contracts go through open competitive bidding. All Board decisions are made in public meetings. Annual independent audits are required. All bond-related financial records are subject to public records requests. Any change in scope or budget beyond the approved amount requires a separate public vote.

No. The bond and operations levy are dedicated, separate funding sources. They do not redirect money from patrol, fire, roads, or other county services.

The 2025 Master Plan evaluated renovation-only options. It concluded that the current facility cannot be safely or efficiently expanded within its existing footprint to meet the county's projected needs through 2049. The proposal combines renovation — addressing the $9.5 million in deferred maintenance — with new construction to add the capacity the county needs.

Release decisions are made by judges, not the Sheriff's Office or the facility. Facility capacity shapes how people are housed while in the system, not whether they are released. A larger, properly designed facility changes the operational constraints of managing that population — it does not change who is incarcerated or for how long.

Construction costs typically rise with inflation over time. The existing facility also requires ongoing maintenance each year regardless of whether the expansion moves forward. Whether delaying saves money depends on future cost trends that cannot be known in advance — but the deferred maintenance and capacity pressures will not resolve themselves without action.

No. Once the bond is sold, the interest rate is fixed for the full 20-year term. It does not fluctuate after the bond is issued.

Ongoing maintenance has been performed throughout the facility's nearly 40 years of operation. However, the 2025 Facilities Condition Assessment identified $9.5 million in high-priority deferred maintenance — aging plumbing, electrical, and mechanical systems, ADA accessibility issues, and life safety and code compliance deficiencies. Operating continuously at or above capacity has made it difficult to take sections offline for scheduled maintenance work.