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The Blount County Budget Committee is scheduled to discuss overcrowding at the county jail.

In August, the Tennessee Corrections Institute notified Sheriff James Berrong that the Blount County Justice Center would be recommended for non-certification for 2008 because of overcrowding.

"They decertified it," Berrong said. "It's inevitable with the numbers of inmates we've been housing. We've been warned for a period of time that it was inevitable."

According to the report, the TCI recommends that Blount County consider building an additional housing area if it continues housing federal inmates.

"The jail is primarily overcrowded with federal inmates," the TCI inspector wrote in the report. "Blount County should stay within the jail's rated capacity when contracting to hold federal inmates."

The Budget Committee had previously discussed whether to finance an expansion using room-and-board money paid for housing federal prisoners. In April, Finance Director Dave Bennett advised the committee that the county could fund the construction and operation of a new pod at the jail with the revenues from the increased number of federal prisoners it would allow to be housed. Currently, the jail houses, on average, 400 to 420 inmates per day. It is only certified for 350.

According to an April 7 memo to the Budget Committee, Bennett estimated a $7 million bond for the project could be paid off in 10 years with the county still reaping net revenues estimated from $417,404 the first year to $1.5 million per year in later years, about $12.1 million in all.

If this is brought to the full commission, Commissioner David Graham said he would oppose it.

"All they have to do is reduce the number of federal prisoners," he said. "The jail is not overcrowded. ... They are talking about bringing 300 more federal prisoners right next to Maryville College, and I'm not going to vote for it."

In the 2006-2007 fiscal year, the Sheriff's Office brought in more than $2.1 million in revenue to the Blount County general fund by housing federal inmates. The revenue is used to offset the costs to operate the jail.