Fulton County commissioners are set to meet Wednesday to discuss a hike in the cost to upgrade the county’s infamous Rice Street Jail.

New documents show the price tag for the Fulton County Jail Capitol Improvement Plan jumping $135 million, bringing the proposal to $1.36 billion. The proposal includes renovations, demolitions, and construction to increase security and capacity.

The price increase is due to creating more specialty cells and housing units as well as moving the special purpose facility for women and medical and mental health needs inside the jail.

The update also says that inflation keeps driving up the costs.

When the renovation plan was approved in 2025, now-former Commissioner Mo Ivory was the lone “no” vote saying at the time that she was concerned about rising costs.

“I’ve never seen a project in the history of projects not cost more than the initial estimates,” she said.

When the original vote took place, Sheriff Pat Labat ripped the commission’s decision saying the improvement plan was like “being in a burning building and voting to design a new fire station that will not open for five years.”

Delivery on the first phase of the project is slated for five years, but the overall completion timeline is nine years.

A report issued by the ACLU earlier this year finds overcrowding at the jail and other structural problems are putting inmates and staff in extremely dangerous situations.

Commissioners approved a controversial plan last month that aims to reduce the inmate population by about 1000.

WSB Radio’s Veronica Waters and Graham Carroll contributed to this story.