Butler County has renewed its contracts with the City of Greenville, the City of Georgiana and the Town of McKenzie to house the municipalities’ prisoners for the upcoming year.

The renewal of the contracts was approved at Monday’s Butler County Commission meeting.

There were no changes from the previous year’s contract, according to

County Administrator Diane Kilpatrick.

The three municipalities will pay a total of $104,500 to the county.

Greenville will pay $100,000 to house its prisoners at the Butler County Correctional Facility, while Georgiana and McKenzie will pay $3,000 and $1,500, respectively.

In addition, each municipality will pay the Butler County Sheriff’s Office a daily feeding allowance of $5.50 per day for each prisoner.

The commission also voted to alter the distribution of funds it receives from housing state prisoners in the Butler County Correctional Facility. The new contract will take effect Oct. 1.

The county had been receiving $10 of the $15 per inmate per day that was paid to the county. Butler County Sheriff Kenny Harden received the remainder of the money to be used to feed the prisoners.

Under the new agreement, the county will receive $9.75 of the $15.25 paid to the county, and Harden will receive $5.50 per day per inmate.

The change amounts to a decrease of approximately $3,650 in revenue for the county over the next fiscal year, and an increase of approximately $7,300 in revenue for Harden.

Harden said he requested the increase because of the rising cost of food.

“We’re not in the hole yet, but food costs are increasing,” Harden told the commission during a Thursday night workshop.

Harden also said that if the fund used to provide food for the prisoners runs out of money, he is forced to reach into his personal funds to make up the difference.

“It comes out of my pocket,” he said.