Codington County Approves $2 Million Jail Construction Payment as Watertown Detention Facility Spending Peaks
- Steve Jurrens
- 1 day ago
- 2 min read
Northeast Radio SD News – Watertown, SD - The Codington County Commissioners took financial actions during Tuesday’s regular meeting, approving a $2 million construction payout for the new county detention facility and receiving an updated multi-year budget breakdown as building momentum peaks.
Jail Construction Spending to Peak in 2026
As part of the ongoing review of 2027 budget requests, commissioners examined multi-year spending projections for the new regional detention facility funded through voter-approved bond dollars. Construction progress on the Beckenhauer Construction Project Update will see the majority of project capital deployed during the current fiscal year.
“This year for the jail, we expect to spend where the bulk of the construction is taking place,” stated Commissioner Lee Gabel during the review. “So just over $23 million spent this year. As you’d expect, spending the bulk of that money in 2026 when the bulk of the construction is taking place.”
Gabel added that the remaining financial footprint for the project is projected at $11.5 million for fiscal year 2027.
“That’s basically how it’s laid out,” Gabel said. “It’s probably going to vary a little bit depending on how much gets done this year and what’s left for next year. And again, we’re looking at a completion probably about this time next year.”
Commission Authorizes $2 Million Drawdown
Following the budget overview, the commission took formal action under item #10 to approve Drawdown #14 for ongoing facility construction costs. The total claim approved reached $2,006,333.37.
The payment package included $532.46 in utility charges, covering municipal utility tapping fees, monthly water meter services, and standard utility fees. Commissioner Gabel moved to approve the claim, with a second from Commissioner Tyler McElhany. The motion passed unanimously.
Unused Emergency Rental Funds Returned to State
The commission also addressed leftover federal grant dollars under Emergency Rental Assistance 2 (ERA 2) regulations. Unspent funds remaining at the close of the program period are required to be returned directly to state housing authorities.
Commissioners authorized a payment of $67,881.70 to the South Dakota Housing Development Authority. County officials noted that the return payment will initially draw from the Community Service budget, followed by an automatic budget supplement to rebalance the departmental account.
The motion to return the remaining ERA 2 funds was introduced by Gabel, seconded by McElhany, and approved by unanimous voice vote.
