SPRINGFIELD - The mayors of East Moline and Taylorville are among the thousands of people waiting to hear today whether a Livingston County judge will block plans to transfer inmates from Pontiac prison. | Read state's motion to dismiss (PDF) | Read state's memo (PDF)

Those mayors have been raising questions about a plan to transfer inmates to the minimum-security lock-ups in their communities.

Mayor John Thodos said the East Moline Correctional Center was designed for minimum-security prisoners, not the 50 medium-security inmates who are expected to be moved there this week.

"It was not built for those standards," Thodos said of the prison, which is on the edge of a residential area.

Taylorville Mayor Frank Mathon said he wants to hear more information about the planned transfer of 50 inmates to the gang-free minimum-security prison in his town, but acknowledged it is a concern.

"You hope it's handled correctly," Mathon said Tuesday.

A top aide at the Illinois Department of Corrections, however, said inmates headed to the two prisons will be appropriate for the facilities.

"We are not taking medium-security inmates and placing them in a minimum-security facility. The inmates meet the criteria," said Sergio Molina, assistant to DOC Director Roger Walker.

The planned transfer of inmates from Pontiac has become the latest dust-up in the ongoing fight over Gov. Rod Blagojevich's plan to close the facility.

The governor says closing Pontiac and moving most of its maximum-security prisoners to an unused prison in Thomson will save about $4 million. The move is supposed to be complete by February.

The American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees union is fighting the transfers to East Moline and Taylorville, which it views as a precursor toward the overall closing of Pontiac.

"Movements of inmates such as these are very unusual," AFSCME attorney Stephen Yokich said in the motion seeking to block the transfers. "They are consistent with the implementation of the plan to close the prison."

A hearing on an AFSCME motion seeking to block the transfers is set for 1 p.m. today at the Livingston County Courthouse, Pontiac.

Molina said inmates heading to East Moline will join a population of prisoners who are within five years of their release date. Similarly, those going to Taylorville have been screened to make sure they are not involved in gang activity.

"The inmates are going to be appropriate for the settings they are going into," Molina said.

Said Mathon, "I would hope they would take that into consideration."

Tony Sapochetti contributed to this report.