JACKSONVILLE, Fla. -- As Jacksonville residents face new taxes and fees to help keep the city safe, the sheriff suggested city leaders trying to raise money to cover the cost of public safety charge jail inmates a daily fee for the time they spend behind bars.

Sheriff John Rutherford said prisoners should have to pay more of the expense of being held in jail. He wants to start charging inmates a $2-a-day fee.

Some residents may not think raising costs to keep people in jail really affects them, but sheriff officials said it does. With the city now looking at plans to impose a new tax for public safety, the sheriff's office suggests some of that burden go on the inmates.

“It’s just time Duval County gets a little something back from our inmates,” said Chief of Jail Tara Wildes.

The sheriff’s plan is to charge inmates for their stay behind bars. Inmates would be required to pay $2 for every day they are in jail, and they would have to pay $5 more for every doctor's visit.

Although most inmates don't have their own money, jail officials said they could collect the fee by taking it from some of the money family and friends send prisoners to buy snacks and other items in jail.

Two dollars a day might not sound like a lot of money, but in the end and with other new fees proposed, the jail and the sheriff's office could make up an additional $1 million a year.

”The money will actually go back into the general fund of the city. It won't role back into the jail per se,” Wildes said.

The jail-stay fee plan would only put a small dent into the sheriff's $322 million budget, but city officials said it's a start.

Other costs that could affect the public include that the cost to get a public record, like an accident or police report for insurance purposes, could go up from $3 to $6.

The plan to raise the public-record fees was presented by Jacksonville Journey -- the city’s crime fighting committee that is looking at changing ways to combat crime in Jacksonville.

Journey members are the ones recommending the tax hike and suggest the sheriff increase the fees. The mayor's office said the fees are one way to go, but more suggestions are expected in the future.