Coweta County’s jail may soon be needing an expansion.

That’s the word that Sheriff Mike Yeager delivered to the Coweta County Commission Tuesday night. The 350 inmate facility has become so overcrowded at time that inmates have slept on the floor, Yeager said.

The main problem, according to Yeager, is the number of state prisoners housed at the facility.

“We’ve got over 200 state prisoners that need to be transferred to state facilities,” he said.

He commented that times have dramatically changed. Years ago, the state would send officers to transport the prisoners to a state facility. Now, Coweta County has to transport the inmate. But with a lack of beds in state prisons, there’s nowhere to take them.

The prison was built in 1991 and meant to last 25 years. But the Sheriff pointed out that 25 year plans are no longer feasible. Instead, new jails are planned for a 10-year capacity.

County administrator Thereon gay said a jail expansion could be part of the county’s next round of SPLOST projects, but Yeager said relief may have to come quicker.

“This is just another example of the state putting something on us,” said Commissioner Paul Poole.

With the state only paying the county jails $20 a day to house state prisoners, there doesn’t seem to be a rush to solve the problem, Yeager added.

The County Commission agreed to write a letter to the Department of Corrections seeking answers to the problem.

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