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41 M s M at one time, but those conditions don't exist in our new jail, and he had a problem with spending thousands of dollars to send 25 prisoners to Okeechobee County and then still be 20 over the limit so we are still in violation of the Order. Commissioner Wheeler continued to stress that this is a bandaid that will not solve the problem, and it will cost a great deal of money. The Judge doesn't like this - the prosecutor doesn't like it - and the public doesn't like it. So, he felt the question is should we send them. Commissioner Eggert believed there are certain felons that are non-violent and could be mixed with the misdemeanants. Commissioner Bird asked what the alternatives are and what would happen if we told the state we are spending millions already, we can't spend any more, and they will have to be patient and wait for us to open Phase Ill. Attorney Barkett informed the Board that the state can take over the jail and just present us with the bill. That did happen in Alabama where the federal court actually became the custodian of the entire state prison system. Discussion continued at length, and the Administrator found it hard to believe that the taxpayers of this county are going to be looking at another 5 million dollars in jail costs just because some crack cocaine dealer is too good to sleep on a mattress on the floor. Commissioner Bird asked about the possibility of creating more work -release type programs where the prisoners can go home at night and report for work every day. Commissioner Wheeler advised that we are already doing that. We have set up a county supported probationtype department, and we have people under house arrest. We also are exploring the possibility of an electronic surveillance for the non-violent, but the problem we have is that about 70-800 of the offenders in our jail are felons. 59 0 1987 BOOK 69 PAGE 6V