Salt Lake County Sheriff Jim Winder wanted more than $5 million to reopen and staff the moth-balled Oxbow Jail, an attempt to alleviate overcrowding at the Adult Detention Center and initiate programs to reduce recidivism. Instead, the council gave him money for ankle monitors, used to keep track of convicts enrolled in alternatives-to-incarceration programs.

This partial rejection of Winder and Miller, both relatively new to their jobs, tells you a number of things. 1) The County Council isn't Santa Claus. 2) The council is cognizant of the heightened demands on the criminal justice system, and the need for public safety. 3) The council won't be spending your tax dollars willy-nilly, opting instead for an in-depth study and a Criminal and Social Justice Master Plan.

It's a wise move, designed to give criminal justice officials enough resources to maintain order while buying the county some time. After all, that $8 million-plus would be an annual, nearly irreversible expense.

Decisions of this magnitude should not be taken lightly. The problem shouldn't be either.

Each prosecutor in Miller's office handles an average of 215 adult felony cases per year, well above the 150-case threshold recommended by the American Bar Association.

And the county jail has been likened to a revolving door, with most accused misdemeanor offenders, due to overcrowding, released immediately after being booked.

To draft the master plan, county officials will hire a consultant and bring all parties to the table - the sheriff and the district attorney, jail officials, county and local law enforcement officers, judges, substance abuse and mental health workers, the list goes on.

When seated, the advisory council will take a long, hard look at the problems and draft a detailed, measured action plan, one designed to reduce crime, punish offenders and keep costs in check.

Winder and Miller weren't happy with the decision. Winder said he was "extremely frustrated." Miller described the increase as the "bare minimum to allow us to maintain the status quo."

Their reaction is understandable. They're just doing their jobs. So is the County Council.