IRVINE

The City Council will meet again behind closed doors Tuesday to determine whether Irvine should strike a deal with the Orange County Sheriff’s Department over the proposed expansion of Musick jail.

James A. Musick Jail, which lies in county territory between Lake Forest and Irvine, houses about 1,200 minimum-security inmates. The two cities have challenged the county’s expansion plans in court, stalling for years its transformation into a 7,800-bed, maximum-security jail. Irvine officials are nervous that they may get stuck with the larger jail as the county nears finishing the additional environmental research required by the courts.

Two weeks ago, council members confirmed they are contemplating Sheriff Mike Carona’s proposal to allow no more than 4,600 beds for minimum-security inmates at Musick.

Meanwhile, a committee that is searching for a new county jail site is still eyeing four sites chosen last fall. They include Fremont near Orange, Chiquita Canyon south of Mission Viejo and two sites near Irvine: Baker, north of Limestone Canyon, and Lambert, north of the former El Toro Marine Corps Air Station.