By Sahar Chmais

Inmate population is increasing, jail outsourcing costs are rising, but Hays County plans to hold the line on outsourcing costs during the next fiscal year.

In the 2019-2020 budget, $3.8 million was spent on sending Hays County inmates to other county jails, and the hope for this year was to zero out the outsourcing.

As the Hays County Jail undergoes an expansion and the county creates a Public Defender’s Office (PDO), Hays County Judge Ruben Becerra and Commissioner Lon Shell...