The Santa Barbara County Board of Supervisors voted to add more beds to the Northern Branch Jail after a long and complicated meeting on Tuesday.

The supervisors were split on how large of an expansion to build onto the facility near Santa Maria, and voted 3-2 to proceed with building 1½ housing units — which totals 348 beds.

The Northern Branch Jail already has 376 beds, and the county would downsize the use of the Main Jail for a systemwide total of 876 beds.

In addition to the new unit, the board directed staff to maximize the number of beds available to people in custody who need mental health services. The addition was proposed by Supervisor Roy Lee.

The board also voted to move forward with a proposal to build the jail expansion as a net-zero-energy facility, which adds to the construction and debt service cost.

Supervisors Lee, Joan Hartmann and Laura Capps voted for the motion, while Bob Nelson and Steve Lavagnino were opposed.

Nelson and Lavagnino both supported adding more housing units to the jail.

Sheriff Bill Brown pushed for adding two housing units, or 512 beds, arguing that the county will likely need them in the coming years.

However, most of the board seemed reluctant to pursue that option.  

Hartmann pushed for one housing unit but was convinced to go along with Lee’s proposed compromise of 1½ housing units after he proposed the requirement to add more beds for mental health services.

Capps sided with them and broke the tie.

Now, county staff will finalize the design for the expansion project and pursue a design-build contract.

A staff report estimated that it would cost $178.8 million to build the expansion.

A Sheriff’s Office report showed the county would need to hire 20 additional employees and spend $61 million annually to operate the facility.

Before board deliberations, dozens of community members and criminal justice reform advocates spoke during public comment to share their thoughts on the expansion plan. Many of them urged the board to put more resources toward mental health and substance use treatment.