By Alabama Public Radio
Jasper, AL – Walker County officials say they're shocked by the cost of running the county's court-mandated jail. Since the federal court-ordered jail opened in 1998, its annual budget has gone up from $800,000 to $2.5 million. Electricity bills alone for the jail run up to $8,000 a month, and 10 communication officers have been added to the payroll. Sheriff John Mark Tirey and Walker County Commissioners discussed the costs in a budget meeting. There are about 25 federal prisoners and between 16 and 18 state prisoners in the 278-bed jail. The federal government pays about $31 a day for their prisoners; the state pays about $1.75 a day.