The Butler County Commissioners will vote next week on importing inmates from Franklin County to be housed in the county prison for $60 per day.

Sheriff Mike Slupe said the prison can accommodate up to 30 more prisoners without opening an additional pod.

That number of new inmates will not necessitate hiring additional personnel at the jail, Slupe said.

“We have personnel to safely handle the additional prisoners,” he said.

The Franklin County prisoners will be those who were sentenced to one year or less for their crimes, as criminals sentenced to more than one year are housed in state prison, Slupe said.

The prison currently houses federal inmates, state probation violators and inmates from other counties, Slupe said.

Housing these inmates earned the county $1.1 million between January and November, Slupe said.

He said bringing in inmates from other counties is a boon for Butler County.

“Programs like this help to bring money into the county,” he said.

Prison Warden Joe DeMore said 315 inmates were housed in the facility as of Wednesday afternoon. Of those inmates, 43 were either federal prisoners or from other counties.

He said Franklin County began sending inmates to Butler last year, and the vote next week will renew that county's contract.

DeMore said Venango, Allegheny, Armstrong and Lawrence counties have contracted with the Butler County Prison or currently have inmates housed there.

He said there have been no issues with the inmates from outside of the county.