Transporting inmates to other counties could cost Marion County about $300,000 per year, Sheriff Rob Craft told Marion County Law Enforcement and Public Safety Center Committee on Oct. 13.

That would pay for the cost of housing and transporting inmates but not maintaining a holding facility where inmates would await transport.

Either the county jail would need significant work to bring it into compliance with fire code, or a new holding facility would need to be built.

The county would need to have two officers whose primary duty would be transporting inmates, Craft said. The county possibly could eliminate corrections officer positions, but doing so would hurt the effectiveness of deputies.

The sheriff compiled the cost estimate using prices other counties charge for housing inmates.

The cost wouldn’t be as stable as housing inmates in the county, because fuel and jail rent would depend on the number of inmates Marion County has, he said.