The cost for Butler County to operate its prison last year was $1 million less than expected.

Butler County Prison revenues were higher than budgeted for 2013 while expenses were lower, resulting in a nearly $1.2 million total cost reduction.

On the revenue side, housing out-of-county inmates continues to reap financial benefits for the county.

According to county controller’s records, the county got more than $2 million in 2013 for housing federal, state and Fayette County inmates.

The total revenue is more than $600,000 above the budgeted $1.3 million.

County Commissioner Dale Pinkerton, prison board chairman, attributed some of the increase to the unforeseen addition of Fayette prisoners.

Pinkerton explained the only cost to the county for housing out-of-county prisoners is feeding them.

“We hope that it continues while we have the room,” he said.

Pinkerton said housing the out-of-county prisoners would remain profitable as long as the county doesn’t have to open the closed inmate pod.

“We don’t have to hire more guards,” he said.

Controller Ben Holland, who is on the prison board, said the practice of housing out-of-county inmates partially offsets the cost of operating the prison.

“It reduces our expenses dollar-for-dollar,” Holland said.

As of Tuesday, there were 385 inmates in the South Washington Street prison. Of those, there were 49 state inmates, 44 federal inmates and 10 from Fayette.

The prison in 2013 also brought in another $27,000 in revenue from other items, such as booking fees, than what was budgeted.

The total cost to operate the prison last year is estimated at nearly $570,000 less than budgeted.

According to controller records, the total expenses to run the prison is estimated to be $9.7 million, down from the nearly $10.3 million that was budgeted.

The net total expense, subtracting the $2 million for out-of-county prisoners from the $9.7 million, is $7.7 million.

Along with additional revenue, expenses across-the-board were lower than projected.

Holland, who took office this year, praised the warden and prison board for keeping expenses down.