Clear Creek sheriff asks for 2.6% budget increase, board hears competing retirement options

Sheriff James Harris told the Clear Creek County Board of County Commissioners on Oct. 7 that the sheriff's proposed 2026 budget would be $9,570,000, a $245,000 increase (2.6%) over 2025, and described the increase as focused on training, pay steps and investigative capacity. "Our proposed budget for '26 is $9,570,000. It would be a $245,000 increase from FY25," Harris said during a work session.

The budget request highlighted several discrete priorities: a larger training budget to professionalize the department and cover academy costs; funding for pay step increases that were not budgeted in 2025; and new staffing to reduce overtime and improve investigative follow-up. Harris told the board the sheriff's office expects academy tuition of about $12,000 per recruit if prior grant support is unavailable, and said the department plans to pursue external vendors to assess and expand training.

Why it matters: commissioners and county staff said they want clearer dollar-line detail before committing. County finance staff warned the salary and benefit lines did not yet include some payroll burdens (vacancy reconciliations, PTO cash-outs and the full benefit cost if deputies move to FPPA), and asked the sheriff to return with revised, fully burdened numbers. County Manager Colton and finance director Rachel emphasized the board's preference to see both the program costs and any offsets (grants, Georgetown IGA revenue) before votes.

Training and hiring: Harris said the department is seeking to overhire to cover historically high turnover and to reduce overtime. He asked the board to consider authorizing three additional over‑hire deputy positions so the division can average more FTEs through the year; county staff described two ways of handling that request — allow over‑hire authority without adding budgeted salary dollars, or fully budget three additional FTEs (which would raise the salary line materially). Harris and the board agreed to keep the discussion open so HR and finance can model both approaches.

Investigations, Flock and cameras: The sheriff described a substantially higher investigations caseload than in earlier reviews. He said detectives now carry heavy caseloads — "between 20 and 25 open cases" — and that the department recently hired a seasoned detective, Ryan Beal, to help. Commissioners pressed for documentation tying detective caseloads to staffing requests. Harris also reported progress on license‑plate‑reader (LPR) cameras (Flock): two cameras were installed, seven total are planned, and some costs are covered by a CIPA grant. Sheriff staff told the board an ongoing $39,000 operating cost is possible unless grant support continues.

Technology and policy: The sheriff presented several technology items in the request, including digital citation software (to enable ticketing off-grid), Lexipol policy subscriptions, and body‑worn camera redaction software; the board sought revenue or cost‑offset estimates for the items and cautioned that capital and ongoing operating costs need to be tracked to the proper budget lines.

Jail study and services: Harris reiterated that the department has issued an RFP for an independent cost‑benefit study of the county jail (possible closure or leasing options). He told commissioners a review is needed to weigh operational costs, medical expenses for inmates and regional options; commissioners thanked staff for an objective, data‑driven study and urged timely completion ahead of budget decisions.

Retirement options: After the budget discussion, the board heard two outside presentations on public retirement options. Mike Whalen of the Colorado Retirement Association (CRA) described CRA's 401a/457b defined contribution plans and emphasized portability, defined contribution account ownership and the ability to annuitize balances. CRA highlighted that an employee account under CRA is owned by the participant and can be rolled over or used to purchase service credit if the employee later chooses a defined benefit option.

Representatives from the Fire & Police Pension Association (FPPA) outlined the state pension's defined benefit model and a statutory process for partial withdrawal by a sheriff's office. FPPA staff said a sheriff's office must hold an authorized election and that existing eligible peace officers would vote individually whether to transfer to FPPA; a specified affirmative threshold applies before an affiliation proceeds. FPPA staff also explained a "continuing rate of contribution" (CRC) the actuary would set to account for members who transfer with less time to accrue benefits. FPPA presenters warned that defined benefit plans carry employer risk for investments and unfunded liabilities and that participation is not reversible once a department joins.

Board response and next steps: Commissioners did not vote on budget or pension changes. They asked the sheriff and county staff to return with the fully burdened salary and benefit numbers (including effects of three over‑hires and PTO cash‑outs), the latest grant‑offset estimates for Flock/LPR, and budget scenarios if the department or personnel moved from CRA to FPPA (including the 1.9% continuing contribution example presented by FPPA). The board signaled it wants clearer, line‑by‑line modeling, and also asked the sheriff to provide more documentation on detective caseloads and academy grant prospects.

Ending: Commissioners framed the presentations as information for budget planning rather than a decision point. They asked staff to bring updated, fully burdened scenarios and to note any revenue offsets (Georgetown IGA policing revenues, grants) before preliminary budget adoption.