The Adams County Public Safety and Judiciary Committee met in a session that included informational reviews of 2026 budgets for the district attorney, clerk of courts, child support, emergency management, the medical examiner and the sheriff's office.

Kyle (county staff), who presented the budgets to the committee, said the primary change applied across department proposals was an update to health‑insurance pricing: “health insurance went from 9% … to 9 and a half percent,” he said. He also said the district attorney’s budget removed a previously requested position and recorded a small increase in discovery‑materials revenue while other lines were adjusted to reflect current trends.

The committee received an update on court budgets. Kyle said clerk of courts revenues were increased based on state information and that expense lines rose slightly in places because the county added two judges. He pointed to an increase in a circuit‑court support payment line but did not provide a clear numeric reconciliation in the meeting transcript for that specific line. The medical examiner’s budget was shown with total expenses of about $185,000; the presenter said the budget includes a part‑time position intended to consolidate multiple on‑call roles into a single part‑time post and that a job description would be attached for the county board.

Dr. Lee (medical examiner) described a county cell‑phone policy for on‑call staff: county devices are provided when a person is on call at least 36 hours a week; staff who do not meet that threshold continue to use personal devices without reimbursement, she said.

The medical examiner’s office also adjusted anticipated records‑request revenue and telephone‑services expense to align with recent trends, the presenter said. The medical examiner clarified hiring status: the office had 24 applicants but no hires yet, and many applicants sought full‑time salaried work rather than on‑call positions.

On emergency management, Jane (emergency management) told the committee that a recent tabletop exercise drew about 35 agencies from both Juneau and Adams counties and that participants praised the drill and after‑action review. The exercise scenario involved an ethanol release and multi‑agency response requiring coordination with rail companies and federal regulators.

The sheriff’s office budget presentation increased state‑shared revenues and applied fund balance toward capital projects; minor adjustments to several expense and revenue lines reflected recent trends. The presenter said canine (K‑9) program items remain funded through a dedicated donations account; separate discussion about the canine fund’s use occurred later in the meeting.

The committee did not take votes on individual department budgets during this meeting; Kyle said the presentations were provided for information to the committee.

Votes at the meeting opening approved the agenda and the minutes from the committee’s Sept. 10, 2025 meeting by voice vote. Committee members present voted “aye” in each case and the motions passed by voice vote.

Why it matters: the small, systemwide insurance adjustment and the removal of a requested position in the district attorney’s budget will affect department staffing and line‑item planning for 2026. Several presenters emphasized that many changes were trend‑driven updates rather than policy shifts, and the committee treated the materials as informational at this stage.

Ending: Committee members were told to forward any follow‑up questions to Kyle or other department heads; absent department heads were expected to appear at the next meeting to answer outstanding questions.