Alameda County jail is empty, but the air conditioning is...

Taxpayers are shelling out $83,000 a month to keep the heat and air conditioning running at a downtown Oakland jail that has no inmates and has been closed for months.

“That’s the bill we are getting every month from the county,” said Alameda County Sheriff Greg Ahern.

And taxpayers will probably keep paying the $1 million-a-year utility bill for the 20-story Glenn Dyer Detention Facility for some time to come as Alameda County officials decide what to do with the empty jail.

Here’s the story.

Opened in 1984, the 800-bed facility was mothballed in June as a cost-cutting measure amid rising expenses and a county inmate count that had dropped to 400. Earlier this year the last of the Dyer inmates, most of whom were on federal detention, were transferred to Santa Rita Jail in Dublin.

But when the jail, which is located at Sixth and Clay streets, was closed the heating and air conditioning stayed on.

“Providing adequate ventilation to the interior is critical to maintaining the facility regardless of occupancy,” said Alameda County General Services Agency Director Willie A. Hopkins Jr.

“The lack of ventilation will expedite mold and mildew growth,” Hopkins said of the nearly windowless high-rise. Plus, mechanical systems like air conditioners can fail if not operated,” Hopkins said.

Another complication is that the jail’s utility system is linked to the adjacent Wiley W. Manuel Courthouse, which is in use.

“Unfortunately, the design of the aforementioned facilities prevents deactivation of the central plant,” said Hopkins, who also noted that “by definition, mothballing is the deactivation and preservation of equipment or a facility for possible future use.”

In July, mayors from 14 cities in Alameda County, including Oakland and Berkeley, floated the idea of repurposing the jail as a homeless center. The Alameda County Board of Supervisors agreed and offered to lease the jail, which has a own laundry, and food service and medical facilities, to Oakland for $1 a year.

“The thought was that people could have their own rooms and live with dignity,” Alameda County Supervisor Scott Haggerty said.

The mayors were given a tour, but the homeless shelter idea died quickly when homeless advocates said housing people in a former jail would be inhuman.

“It was seen as being too traumatic,” Alameda County Supervisor Nate Miley said.

The supervisors said they were never told about the high price of keeping the lights on.

“But I have budgeted $1 million for the year,” Ahern said.

The supervisors are now trying to decide what do do with the empty building.

“I’m for tearing it down. It’s never going to be used as a jail again, and we are never going to use it again,” Haggerty said.

“We can’t go on with this situation indefinitely,” Miley said. “It’s going to cost too much, and that money could be used for other services.”

In the meantime, the meter keeps running.

Job board: Rich Hillis has given up his seat on the San Francisco Planning Commission to apply for the department’s top job.

“After seven years on the commission, I’ve grown more and more passionate about addressing our housing and affordability challenges,” Hillis said. “It’s time for me to find new ways to be part of the solution.”

Hillis said he is stepping down before the commission begins the process of selecting a replacement for Planning Director John Rahaim to avoid any conflict of interest.

Rahaim was appointed by Gov. Gavin Newsom when he was San Francisco mayor and is set to retire at the end of February. In his 12 years on the job, Rahaim oversaw one of the biggest building booms in the city’s history.

While it is unusual for a commissioner to seek a director’s job, Hillis is no stranger to City Hall, having worked for 15 years in the Mayor’s Office of Economic and Workforce Development before becoming the executive director of the Fort Mason Center for Arts and Culture.

Over the years, Hillis has also dabbled in stand-up comedy, which might come in handy for the bureaucracy-heavy job.

Meanwhile, over at Muni, the Municipal Transportation Agency’s Board of Directors is set to begin interviewing finalists for the city’s top transit job.

No one is talking publicly, but word is there are four to seven finalists for what is probably the toughest — and most thankless — job in city government.

San Francisco Chronicle columnist Phil Matier appears Sundays and Wednesdays. Matier can be seen on the KPIX-TV morning and evening news. He can also be heard on KCBS radio Monday through Friday at 7:50 a.m. and 5:50 p.m. Got a tip? Call 415-777-8815, or email pmatier@sfchronicle.com. Twitter: @philmatier