Grayson County commissioners put renewal of their contract to house inmates at the Cooke County jail on the agenda for their Oct. 5 meeting, according to the court's posted agenda. The agreement lets Grayson pay for Cooke County beds when it needs them. Cooke County decides whether to accept each inmate Grayson sends.
Grayson's online meeting page shows no recorded decision on the item, so it could not be independently confirmed that commissioners approved the renewal.
Grayson has used the arrangement this year. The county's May 12 claims register lists a charge of about $18,000 from the Cooke County Sheriff for housing inmates during March.
The contract commissioners approved in September 2025 set a rate of $70 a day for each inmate Cooke County houses, for a term running from Oct. 1, 2025, through Sept. 30, 2026. That rate covers housing only. Grayson pays separately for medical care and prescriptions and handles nonemergency transportation. If an inmate's hospital stay runs longer than four hours, Grayson must also supply a guard.
Neither county is obligated to use the beds. Grayson chooses whether to send an inmate, and Cooke County chooses whether to take one, depending on available space. Either county may end the agreement with 30 days' written notice. Unless one does, it renews automatically each year.
Commissioners unanimously approved the previous renewal on Sept. 9, 2025, according to Grayson County records.
Grayson was not the only county with such an arrangement. A Sept. 15, 2025, Collin County court order approved a one-year extension of Collin's inmate-housing arrangement with Cooke County, through Sept. 30, 2026.
Grayson's inmate-housing agreement with Fannin County offers a point of comparison. It set a fiscal 2026 rate of $97 per inmate per day, for beds at Fannin's detention center or south annex as space allowed.
Cooke County's daily housing rate is below Fannin's
Cooke County
Per inmate per day, Oct. 1, 2025, through Sept. 30, 2026. Covers housing only: Grayson separately pays medical and prescription costs, handles nonemergency transportation and supplies a guard for hospital stays over four hours.
Fannin County
Per inmate per day for fiscal 2026, at Fannin's detention center or south annex, subject to availability.
Source: Grayson–Cooke County inmate-housing contract approved September 2025; Grayson–Fannin County inmate-housing agreement, fiscal 2026
Grayson is also adding room at its own jail. On its project page, contractor SEDALCO describes an addition with shared and isolation cells. The project also renovates the kitchen, the existing showers and the loading dock.
Source: SEDALCO, Grayson County Jail project page
The records reviewed for this report do not confirm that the addition is close to completion. A November 2024 amendment to the construction contract set Nov. 13, 2024, as the start date and allowed a fixed number of days for substantial completion, subject to authorized adjustments. A contract deadline does not show how far construction has actually progressed.
| Figure | Amount |
| --- | ---: |
| Cooke County daily rate per inmate, Oct. 2025 to Sept. 2026 | $70 |
| Fannin County daily rate per inmate, fiscal 2026 | $97 |
| Cooke County Sheriff charge for March 2026 housing | $18,060 |
| Grayson jail addition, per SEDALCO | 27,000 sq. ft.; 166 added inmates |
| Guaranteed maximum construction price, Nov. 2024 (subject to change orders) | $30,872,639 |
| Days allowed for substantial completion from Nov. 13, 2024 (subject to adjustment) | 674 |
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