Overcrowding problems at the Clarke County jail have forced officials to look for more money to handle the inmate load. Sheriff Ira Edwards is asking the Athens-Clarke Commission for 1.4 million dollars to keep inmates in south Georgia’s Irwin County through July. Officials would have to take a bite out of the 8-million dollar contingency fund for the cash. Already, most of the sheriff's budget for the year has already been used to house-out inmates that can’t fit into Clarke County’s facility. Commissioners are considering many options, including whether it might be better to expand the current facility or build a new one.
