GATESVILLE (May 28, 2009)--A Texas Senate bill cleared the House Wednesday that sets up a land deal between the state prison system and Coryell County for transfer of land.

The bill, which was authored by Waco state Sen. Kip Averitt and sponsored in the House by Stephenville state Rep. Sid Miller, calls for the state to transfer 33.37 acres to the county to be used as the site of a new county jail.

Coryell County Judge John Firth told News 10 Thursday the suggestion to ask for transfer of state land grew out of a committee appointed by county commissioners several months ago.

The next step is for the court to consider all of the nuances of plan to find a way to construct a new jail without burdening county taxpayers with the bill.

That could include whether the new facility is to be operated by a public corporation that the county would set up or by the county as an entity.

Firth said he is hopeful the facility can be built to far exceed the county's current needs so space can be rented back to the state to house female prisoners and provide revenue for the county.

The land the county would get is along Farm-to-Market 929, immediately adjacent to the Woodman State Jail.

Coryell County Commissioner Jack Wall said ironically the parcel of land in question initially was bought by Coryell County and deeded to the state as an incentive for the state to choose Gatesville as the site for the Woodman State Jail.

"Gatesville already is the reception center for all female inmates," Firth said. "We are hopeful we can leverage this into something that will be beneficial for both state and county taxpayers."

Firth said the need for an expanded county jail is not a new thing.

"We've needed to find a way to build a new county jail for some time. This plan just gives us much more flexibility," he said.

Wall told News 10 one of the original plans called for construction of a 240-bed unit, but now with the transfer of land "we may have a lot more options."

The current county jail is designed to house about 90 inmates, both male and female. It was built in 1991.