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Salt Lake County has a new way to free up space in its jail: Make up to 150 inmates disappear.

Under a proposal that Sheriff Jim Winder said was still in the works but is on the County Council agenda for next week, Salt Lake County would contract with other counties to host inmates.

The concept mimics a state program in which the Utah Department of Corrections pays county jails to house state inmates. Winder believes $705,000 from the council would jump-start his effort to temporarily help with crowding.

"I'm not kidding anybody here; this isn't fixing" the problem, Winder said in a recent interview. "But, boy, we've got to have space."

Salt Lake County has enacted a policy in which inmates must meet a certain threshold of criminality before they're taken to the county jail. That's left lower-level offenders, such as those committing nonviolent drug crimes, on the street, at times causing tension between Winder and Salt Lake City Police Chief Mike Brown.

Legislators appropriated $2.8 million this year after House Speaker Greg Hughes, R-Draper, worked with Salt Lake County Mayor Ben McAdams and Winder on the proposal.

The state funding wouldn't start until the fiscal year begins July 1, when the state and county would split the estimated cost of $52 per inmate per day, so Winder is asking council members to open the budget and start the program in May.

"My plan is to find a jail that will take, say, 10-15 [inmates] right off the bat and enter into an [agreement] with them, transport the inmates up there and use that facility as a beta to find out the communication, transportation," Winder said. "Then I will slowly ramp up from there as we perfect the model."

Salt Lake County has talked with numerous counties with large jails about whether they're interested in housing the county's inmates at a cost Winder said would be about half that of housing them in Salt Lake County.

County Councilman Steve DeBry said Salt Lake County is talking with Uintah and Tooele counties about sending inmates to those jails.

"It's a good idea so I think we should do it," DeBry said, adding he would be wary of any permanent costs while the county works its way to permanent solutions.

Rep. Mike Noel, R-Kanab, said Friday he recently spoke with McAdams, who was helping finalize the details behind Winder's plan.

For instance, Noel said, the county is figuring out which inmates would be moved elsewhere.

Inmates would also need to be transported and be able to talk with attorneys.

Molly Prince, past president at the Utah Prisoner Advocate Network, said she had questions about the proposal she wanted answered.

"Some jails simply do not have ability to provide serious medical care or mental health care," Prince said.

Winder acknowledged he may face questions about the request as he's getting the program off the ground.

"The concerns are legitimate," he said.

Salt Lake County would pay for the transportation, health care and other costs associated with getting inmates to court dates under the program. Noel said the state and county were working through details to ensure the state wasn't liable should anything go wrong with county inmates.

McAdams declined to comment on the proposal Friday. His staff said only he was "looking forward to the important discussion" at the upcoming council meeting.

Councilwoman Aimee Winder Newton said she was receptive to the idea.

"I'm grateful that our mayor and the sheriff have worked so hard with our legislators to try to find a good solution," Winder Newton said. "The Legislature has been great in working with us about how do we open more space."

Twitter: @TaylorWAnderson