FRENCH CAMP - A lot has changed since the last time top city and county officials met to talk about expanding the County Jail, but the question of how to pay to operate a larger jail was no closer when the group met again Thursday.

As they did about three months ago, the members of the Joint City-County Criminal Justice Task Force decided to find outside help to craft a solution.

"We're kind of back to the drawing board on that," said Leroy Ornellas, a member of the county Board of Supervisors and the task force. And there should be a smaller group of city and county officials that's able to address issues more quickly, he said. There's time, he said, but not a lot of it. "We need to push this forward."

When the task force last assembled at the county sheriff's offices in March, it was still uncertain if the county would even get the $80 million of state prison reform money to build a bigger jail. The administrators and elected and law enforcement officials in the group decided a consultant was needed to find a countywide solution to pay to run an expanded jail.

By Thursday, that $80 million for construction was all but in the bank, but only one consultant had responded to the county's call. So the task force decided to start over and cast a wider net for experts.

Possible solutions would likely require voter approval. Ideas included a sales tax, a parcel tax, creating assessment districts and other ways to raise a sum, roughly set at $40 million a year, to operate a bigger jail.

"I don't think we can settle that here today," Stockton Mayor Ed Chavez said before recommending setting up the working group to tackle the issue.

Elected officials from other cities also backed working together to find a solution but stressed the importance of input from the cities.

"I think every city manager should be invited," Tracy City Councilman Steve Abercrombie said.

It's a critical issue for the whole county, Manteca City Councilman Vincent Hernandez said. "I'd like to do it right the first time."

Last month, a panel in the state Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation conditionally awarded San Joaquin County $80 million to build the jail.

That money could be available as early as late summer, and the expanded jail could be ready by 2012 or 2013. The Board of Supervisors this week asked for architects to submit proposals to build a new jail.

The county could have a dilemma when those architecture proposals come back, and the board will have to decide on asking for plans that could cost as much as $7 million, County Administrator Manuel Lopez said.

Also, a lawsuit was filed last month against the state about how it would finance the money and the rest of $1.2 billion awarded to counties across the state as part of the AB900 prison reform law.

Uncertainty remains, Supervisor Victor Mow said.

"The worst case: We do have a new jail, and we can't open it," he said.

Contact reporter Zachary K. Johnson at (209) 546-8258 or zjohnson@recordnet.com.

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