An audit from the Erie County Comptroller's office concludes the facility needs additional deputies to reduce overtime costs.

Comptroller Mark Poloncarz said the county shelled out more than $7.75 million in overtime in 2005 to deputies who watch over prisoners. His office estimates more than $2 million could be saved if another 11 deputies were added to the current payroll of 388 and scheduling changes were enacted. The report also recommended additional savings of $4 million related to operations at the county's Alden holding center annex and reimbursements due from the state and federal governments.

"While there is no easy answer to eliminating or reducing overtime at the holding center, our office believes that if the Sheriff's Department implements our recommendations, the holding center can be managed more efficiently and over $6 million can be saved annually," the comptroller said in his report.

The holding center, located on Delaware Avenue, housed 20,000 persons in 2005, and that the average prisoner was male, held on a misdemeanor charge and spent less than four days at the jail.

The audit also said the average deputy works 203 days in a year, and that deputies are not being properly scheduled to make the most efficient use of the days they work.

Poloncarz has discussed the findings with Sheriff Timothy Howard and said there is general agreement regarding the recommendations. The sheriff, the comptroller said, did disagree with the findings on staffing in Alden and said construction of a new county jail would help reduce staff levels and lower costs.