Sheriff Garry McFadden is scheduled to ask Mecklenburg County commissioners Tuesday, Sept. 1, to approve a budget amendment that would unlock spending to reopen Detention Center North.

The county's only operating jail, Detention Center Central, has an official capacity of 1,791 people. As of Aug. 31, the average daily population stood at 2,222, putting the facility 431 people over capacity.

A state law is blocking the sheriff's office from moving forward. North Carolina General Statute §159-8 bars the expenditure of public funds not authorized in the current county budget ordinance. The county manager's office flagged the gap on Aug. 19, according to a sheriff's office press release dated Aug. 31. The current budget covers the fiscal year that began July 1 and runs through June 30, 2027, but does not include spending authority for the Detention Center North reopening.

McFadden's office attributes much of the population surge to House Bill 307, which took effect Dec. 1, 2025. Since then, the daily custody population has climbed by roughly 577 people, a 36% increase, according to the press release.

"I want the public to understand that we are not sitting still," McFadden said in the Aug. 31 statement. "… Once the necessary budget amendment is approved, staffing arrangements are finalized and the remaining inspections are completed, MCSO will be positioned to move forward to reopen the North Detention Center."

Staff selections for Detention Center North are complete and personnel have been preparing the facility, the sheriff's office said. But the budget vote is only the first step. The office must still finalize contractual staffing arrangements and pass state and federal inspections before the jail can accept inmates.

The last time Mecklenburg County's detention population reached comparable levels was fiscal year 2008, when the average daily count hit 2,610 across three facilities.

No dollar figure for the requested funding appeared in the sheriff's office release. The commissioners' vote on the amendment had not been announced as of Sept. 1.