PAPILLION, Neb. (AP) — County officials say an eastern Nebraska jail needs to be replaced immediately due to rapid overcrowding.

Sarpy County officials are already working on a plan to build a new jail, the Omaha World-Herald reported. The county jail has regularly exceeded its capacity since the 1990s.

Corrections officials oftentimes have to house inmates as far as halfway across the state as nearby jails also fill up, said Stu De La Castro, director of the county’s administrative services. Transportation costs can be hefty considering inmates must return to the county for court appearances.

There is $1.5 million in this year’s budget for housing inmates outside of the county. The county estimates it will cost about $2.9 million annually to house inmates elsewhere by 2025.

Housing and transporting inmates outside of the county can also be dangerous and time-consuming for county sheriff’s deputies, said Chief Deputy Gregg London.

“It’s not, ‘Do we build it?’ or ‘Do we not build it?'” said Jim Warren, a member of the Sarpy County Board. “It’s a matter of ‘What do we build?'”

The county plans to acquire land for a new facility by the end of the year, De La Castro said.

The county has approved a contract with real estate consultant Midwest Right of Way Services to help acquire a site, though one hasn’t been selected yet. A new jail could be operating within three years, he said.

County officials want to ensure that the new jail will have an accompanying mental health facility and space for programs like GED certificate classes and anger management training.

“We’d do this broad spectrum of things to help people … be able to successfully re-enter society when they leave,” De La Castro said. “So we don’t have this big revolving door.”