Part 3 - Fiscal Responsibility and Budget Priorities:

I will begin this one by stating the obvious first. I have never monitored or been responsible for a multi-million dollar budget. Respectfully, most Sheriffs who obtain office don't have that experience either. Maybe they have played a part in managing certain areas of the Sheriffs Office budget, but being responsible for the entirety of the budget was most likely a new experience for them.

With that being said, it will be a learning curve - and I'm willing and ready to get to work. I have very good knowledge and experience with money and staying under budget. That won't change for my constituents. This is YOUR money being spent. Cutting wasteful spending and putting our tax dollars to proper use, AND including you, our tax paying citizens, in those decisions will be a big priority of mine.

Overtime budget

The overtime budget is one of the biggest variables for the entire budget. Here are the following amounts that were proposed in the 2026 budget:

Law Enforcement: $407,602.00

Corrections: $241,392.00

Dispatch: 74,517.00

Total: $723,511.00

Here is the total amount of overtime in the 2025 adopted budget:

Law enforcement: $399,268.00

Corrections: $264,830.00

Dispatch: $76,602

Total: $740,700.00

There are several things that can affect the overtime budget, such as staffing shortages, training, call-outs, disasters, and community events - among others of course. Some things are out of our control, such as staffing shortages, call-outs, and disasters - but I definitely think there is room for improvement. I will work diligently with my team and crunch numbers throughout the year, implementing positive changes where it would save us (and the tax payers) money - without jeopardizing the safety of our staff or our community.

Squad Cars:

The County recently passed a resolution to be able to lease squad cars instead of purchasing them. This will most likely save money in the long run. If this is indeed successful, then we will continue leasing vehicles.

Only staff who need to perform their official job duties will have a squad car. The Jail Captain, Jail Lieutenant, and Dispatch Captain will no longer be issued take home squad cars. If a vehicle is required to attend a training, meeting, etc. - then they will be able to use the vehicles designated for attending such meetings, trainings, etc., just like the other employees.

The total amount of 2 of these Captains' squad cars amounted to nearly $100,000. They are primarily used to travel between home and the Sheriffs Office, or other non-official business. The Jail Captain squad had approx. 18,000 miles accumulated in 8 months. See link from previous post: https://www.facebook.com/share/v/19HZ5SakZ6/?mibextid=wwXIfr

Staffing:

Currently, the Sheriff's Office has the following Administrative and Supervisory staff:

Sheriff (elected) (dayshift)

Chief Deputy (dayshift)

Jail Captain (and also the Undersheriff)(dayshift)

Dispatch Captain (dayshift)

Detective Captain (dayshift)

Patrol Captain (dayshift)

Jail Lieutenant (dayshift)

Patrol Lieutenant (dayshift)

2 Patrol Sergeants (dayshift only)

2 Patrol Sergeants (days)(rotate nights)

2 Patrol Sergeants (nights)(rotate days)

6 Detective Sergeants (primarily dayshift)

Some may argue that the Sheriff's Office has too many supervisory positions but what I would like to emphasize on is how many of these positions are on-duty during the dayshift hours only. It is rare that a "call-out" occurs during the day versus on night shift when there are sometimes only 3 deputies and 1 sergeant covering the entire county - because of the amount of staff on during the day.

Just thinking out loud, but if there were additional supervisor positions spread throughout both day and night shifts, could that possibly save on overtime? Are each of these positions necessary? Could cutting a position or two and replacing them with patrol deputies (or other necessary staff or resources) save the county money? These are all things, amongst others, that should be explored. Currently, it isn't even being talked about.

In conclusion, not much has changed from the 2021 budget to the current 2026 budget. See totals below:

2021 Actual: $13,091,933.75

2022 Adopted: $13,573,025.00

2023 Proposed: $14,117,008.00

2024 Actual: $15,350,516.03

2025 Adopted: $15,100,892.00

2026 Proposed: $16,344,461.00

As reported above, each year (with the exception of 2025) we are spending much more. You, as tax paying citizens, deserve to have this looked through by your Sheriff's Office Administration with a fine tooth comb.