King County says it can't afford to build new jail for cities' inmates

King County can't afford a new jail, so Seattle and suburban cities should continue planning to build their own, County Executive Ron Sims said this week.

"We support and encourage the cities' jail planning processes and are open to partnering with cities" to create "a regionally integrated jail system," Sims said in a statement that accompanied a report on future jail-capacity needs.

Operating their own jails would be a big change for the cities, which have long sent their inmates to King County jails.

Without new construction, the county's jails in Seattle and Kent are expected to run out of space for city and state offenders by 2015.

The report, released Tuesday, said King County will be short 300 jail beds for its own inmates by 2024, and 36 cities will have no place to put 1,450 inmates by 2026.

Seattle and suburban cities in south and northeast King County began planning to build their own jails after county officials told them in 2002 that they won't take accused or convicted city misdemeanants after 2012.

Cities have reduced their use of the King County jails and most are sending some inmates to a Yakima County jail.

Seattle has identified four possible jail sites: 11762 Aurora Ave. N., 1600 W. Armory Way, Highland Park Way Southwest and West Marginal Way, and 9501 Myers Way S.

However, Seattle and Bellevue officials said it now appears more likely that one jail, rather than two, would be built to serve Seattle and cities in North and East King County. That jail could be built either inside or outside Seattle, Deputy Mayor Tim Ceis said.

Sims' support for cities' jail-planning efforts doesn't mean he is shutting the door on a possible partnership between the cities and county for a new jail, said Reed Holtgeerts, county director of adult and juvenile detention.

A partnership is "what we're trying to talk about and find out. It's very early. That would be the goal, yes," Holtgeerts said. Building a jail on its own would be difficult for the county because it doesn't have enough debt capacity, he said.

County and city officials met Wednesday to discuss a possible extension of the cities' contracts to house prisoners at the county jails through 2014.

The Metropolitan King County Council last month passed an ordinance that directed Sims to open those negotiations, fast-track expansion of the Maleng Regional Justice Center jail in Kent and negotiate jail projects with cities and the state.

The ordinance said the county should "continue to be the primary regional provider" of jails. Still, County Council Chairwoman Julia Patterson said she wasn't discouraged by Sims' support for the cities' jail planning.

"I have the impression the executive branch would like to find a solution with the cities, but they're faced with the daunting task of having to come to terms with our budget," she said.

Ceis and Bellevue Intergovernmental Affairs Director Diane Carlson said they were pleased the new county report acknowledged a severe shortage of jail space.

As for Sims' endorsement of cities' jail planning, Ceis said, "I think the real operative issue here is that the county financially is not in a position to be a full, regional jail provider. I think that's what the message is to us. There may be some other relationship we can work out between the cities and county."

Keith Ervin: 206-464-2105 or kervin@seattletimes.com