The Cayuga County Sheriff's Office stands to save thousands of dollars a year on travel costs when the state opens two new centers - including one in Auburn - for processing inmates sentenced to state prison.

The state Department of Correctional Services on Thursday said it will open two new inmate intake centers July 1. Auburn Correctional Facility will be used for men and, Albion Correctional Facility in Orleans County will take women.

Currently, men in Cayuga County who are sentenced to state prison for new crimes or for parole violations are transported - at the county's expense - to Elmira. Female prisoners need to be driven to Bedford Hills Correctional Facility in Westchester County.

The DOCS said in a news release that Albion and Auburn were chosen as new intake centers after a recent Sheriff's Association training conference at which several county sheriffs talked about possible solutions to the lengthy trips required to deliver inmates into state custody.

The new centers will save officer time, fuel and vehicle expenses for sheriff's offices in central and western New York counties.

Cayuga County Sheriff David Gould said his office stands to save about $9,000 a year, depending upon how many female inmates his staff needs to transport. For male inmates, the transfer distance will be only five miles.

“It's great for the county,” Gould said. “It certainly saves us on gas and the wear and tear on the cars.” Gould said that employee overtime is sometimes linked to inmate transports, as well.

“This was a good collaboration between the Sheriff's Association and the state,” he said.

The move will not mean major changes at the prison at Auburn. No new construction or staffing will be required for the facility to function as an intake center. The state will provide some new beds for intake purposes, but the DOCS already runs regular buses between Auburn and Elmira, and inmates headed there will be placed on a bus the day after they arrive in Auburn.

The Bedford Hills and Elmira correctional facilities are state reception and classification centers, where inmates undergo medical and mental health screenings and are provided with an orientation program on prison rules and regulations.

“This is a common sense solution that will make government work more efficiently and cost-effectively,” DOCS Commissioner Brian Fischer said in a news release.

“Good government means discussing legitimate concerns and considering reasonable proposals. I appreciate the sheriffs bringing this to my attention and I'm pleased to follow through with a plan that will help ease the burden on many sheriffs' offices - and on the property taxpayers who underwrite their costs.”