Nearly half of the 72-bed jail in the new Wabasha County Criminal Justice Center will sit empty when it opens in early 2010 because not enough jail staff has been hired to run the full facility, county officials said.

The jail, expected to open in late February or early March, will only be able to house a maximum of 40 inmates, County Administrator David Johnson said. That number is based on the number of jail staff hired and Minnesota Department of Corrections standards, he said.

The large jail was built as part of the county's long-term plan, not necessarily with the intention of filling the whole space immediately, Johnson said. The jail will open later than the rest of the $21 million justice center because of the time required to train new jail staff. Other county offices moved into the facility last month.

County board members Tuesday tabled a resolution to formally cap the population to 40 inmates, but the facility could not house more inmates than that anyway, unless the board approved hiring additional staff, Johnson said.

"It's more of a feel-good thing," Johnson said of the resolution formally limiting capacity.

County Board Chairman David Windhorst did not return a call for comment for this story.

County officials were interested in generating money with the jail by using extra space to house prisoners from other counties, and the 40-inmate cap still gives them significant room to pursue that option, Johnson said.

The county's average daily jail population in August and September was about 19 inmates, according to county board meeting minutes.