Butler County plans to house state inmates in the new county prison to generate income for the county.

The county prison board today authorized Warden Rich Gigliotti to advertise to hire new correction officers who will man unused inmate pods in the prison where state inmates would go.

However, no one would be hired until there is a contract with the state and the county salary board approves the creation of new jobs.

Commissioner Dale Pinkerton, board chairman, said today the county would house state inmates to help pay off the cost to build the new prison, which was $43 million.

The county would charge the state $60 a day per inmate.

For every 50 state inmates, the county would be paid $3,000 a day or more than $1 million a year.

If the county hired 24 full-timers and housed 159 state inmates, there could be an estimated $2 million profit.

Pinkerton said projected revenue from housing state inmates would likely have more of an impact in 2011 than next year.