CHILLICOTHE (AP) – Livingston County officials have decided to keep the county jail in Chillicothe closed.

The jail was closed in December 2012 and inmates were moved to the Daviess-DeKalb County Regional jail in Pattonsburg.

Livingston County officials say a consultant hired to determine the jail’s future said the county would have to hire another 13 employees if the jail reopened, and high employee turnover was likely.

The St. Joseph News-Press reports the officials said the current arrangement eliminates the need to increase taxes, reduces the time deputies spend on jail duties and reduces other costs.

The county acknowledges that having the jail in another county can be a hardship for attorneys and others who want to visit inmates, and reduces possible jobs in the county.