KENANSVILLE — There may be about $9 million worth of ways to solve what has now become an ongoing problem in Duplin County with jail inmates and the cost of housing them, but commissioners have still sent staff on a hunt for the needed money.

The issue is this: Duplin County’s jail is overcrowded and inmates are being housed in other counties, like Sampson, at a cost, which appears to rise with every new arrest. It is that cost, which has reportedly drained allocations for housing inmates, which brought about further discussion Wednesday and a directive from commissioners to county manager Mike Aldridge to find the funds to pay its most recent bill from Sampson County.

Duplin commissioners were made aware of that bill, totaling $33,500, t their meeting Wednesday. When Aldridge asked to pay the bill, commissioners told him to do so — but with one stipulation — he cannot touch the $9 million fund balance. Th county manager, and finance officer Tersea Lanier, were tasked with the job of finding those dollars in this year’s budget without touching any savings.

Commissioner Zettie Williams made a motion that Aldridge and Lanier find the money and pay the bill. It was called to a vote after commissioner David Fussell seconded the motion, adding the limitation of not pulling from the fund balance. The vote was unanimous.

“We will be looking within the budget expenses from each of the department,” said Aldridge. And the two will look for money “that is likely not to be expended from now to the end of the year,” he said.

Salaries from vacant positions, and other line items, such as postponed services, will also be reviewed as possible places in which to draw money.

Although it wasn’t discussed Wednesday, with no additional budgeted funds and the likely chance that more inmates will have to be housed in other counties, additional money will be needed to pay for those services for the remainder of the 2008-09 budget year.

Aldridge said where the money will come from may vary. “It will come from the budgeted expenses within the departments,” he said, referring to the current $33,500 needed.

The other option would be to tap the contingencies, he said. “And we typically try to delay expending contingency funds until the third quarter of the year. ‘ getting tighter; it’s hard to find those unexpended monies because our budgets were pretty tight to start with.”

Housing inmates outside the county is a costly measure for Duplin commissioners. For a one night stay in a place like the Sampson County Detention Center , room and board is $50. For 22 inmates, at $50 a head, staying 30 days, the bill amounts to $33,000.

Michael Connolly can be reached at (910) 592-8137 ext. 120 or can be emailed at sicity@intrstar.net