The new Butler County Prison will cost an estimated $1.5 million for new staff.

Controller Jack McMillin calculated the number based on a projected increase of 27 additional employees needed for the new building being constructed on South Washington Street.

According to a preliminary staffing report released by Warden Rich Gigliotti at Tuesday's prison board meeting, the current 53-person full-time staff would be expanded to 79.9.

The prison's 16 part-time staff members would supplement the needed manpower. Gigliotti said the final hiring number depends on variables such as the part-time staff.

Among the 10.4 new positions to be created are eight processing officers. Their job would be performing computer entries for all new daily commitments and releases.

These officers would handle inmates' belongings, search new inmates, issue clothing and bedding, conduct security checks and ensure inmates are ready to be taken to court appearances.

Gigliotti said the 27 number is based on having up to 325 inmates in the building and the history of what has been needed in the prison previously.

Sheriff Dennis Rickard questioned if that number was high enough since the new building is not scheduled to be open until 2008, when the total number of inmates would likely rise from Tuesday's 303.

Expenses would be offset by the savings of not housing inmates in other county prisons. Overcrowding at the current building necessitated the roughly $40 million construction project.

For 2007, the county budgeted $1.7 million just for out-of-county inmate housing. More than $1.1 million of that amount was spent as of July 31, according to county expense reports.

As of Tuesday, there were 137 inmates in the prison, 48 in the temporary annex in the city tier garage and 118 housed in other county prisons, including Armstrong, Beaver and Lawrence.