"At this time the facility houses federal inmates," stated Herklotz, "We did provide technical assistance to the county and the developer at one point (Namely 2009 when the facility met minimum jail standards), but it's all or nothing in this case.  The facility must be ready for occupancy inspection before any inspection takes place."

A recent report dated April 2nd and 3rd of this year points out at least four inconsistencies which need to be rectified before the inspection can take place, however one of them would constitute a monumental task of physically altering the cells from ten beds to eight according to Sheriff  Tom Schmerber.

When asked if he and his staff are still working on making the facility compliant to meet state standards or whether keeping both facilities running would be more prudent and financially beneficial to the county, "It all depends.  I have in mind the possibility of leaving both jails open housing federal inmates there and state inmates here.  I've been in close contact with Sheriff Martin Cuellar in Webb County who informed him that he needs to send some of his prisoners to us, that way we can make money here and at the MCDC."

The sheriff will meet with Legal advisor Bill Bryan of New York who represents the bond holders, the owners of the facility formerly known as GEO who will help Maverick County make a determination on what would be the best route to take on this issue.

"We're trying to do what's best for Maverick County.  If we opt to keep both facilities open it will benefit the county two-fold.  One it will help the county money wise and two it will create more jobs as we will need more cooks, jailers and staff."