Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Public Safety topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Sheriff outlines COPS grant plan to hire three deputies; board discusses timing and budget impact
Summary
Sheriff Matt Kelly told Miami County commissioners the department can add three deputies under a federal COPS grant and an SRO agreement with Queen of the Holy Rosary, with most of the first-year cost covered by grant and partner funding; commissioners discussed realistic hiring dates and next-year budget implications.
Sheriff Matt Kelly told the Miami County Board of County Commissioners that the sheriff’s office can use federal COPS grant funding and a private School Resource Officer (SRO) agreement to staff three deputy positions without requiring new county dollars this fiscal year.
Kelly said the federal grant provides about $41,666 per deputy per year and that the county has an agreement with Queen of the Holy Rosary that contributes “a little over $63,000 a year to fund the SRO.” He said the SRO position was already budgeted at about $104,000 and that, based on his estimates, the county would be “in the green” for this year if hiring is staged to match grant proration.
The COPS grant includes a multi‑year funding structure that Kelly described as a five‑year period with a one‑year hiring window, three years of grant funding and a fourth year where the county would share the cost. Kelly said the October 1 hiring deadline for at least one position is firm under the grant timeline and that hiring both deputies by June 1 was not realistic.
Commissioners and staff discussed alternate start dates to reduce this year’s payroll impact and lengthen the period during which grant funds offset county costs. One commissioner suggested hiring one officer in August and another in October to align with the SRO’s school calendar; Kelly said internal candidates and training timelines could lengthen the hiring process and that the department is prepared to promote an internal applicant if the board moves forward.
Discussion also covered overtime and training-pay proposals for Field Training Officers (FTOs). Kelly said the department is not seeking additional FTO positions but is proposing a percentage training pay for officers acting as FTOs during training, similar to arrangements used with the SRO timekeeping.
No formal vote was taken at the study session. Commissioners asked staff to continue refining start-date options and to include the anticipated recurring costs for the three positions in next year’s budget estimates so the board can consider budget impacts when grant funding phases out.
Ending
Kelly and the board agreed to continue the scheduling and budget discussion in the coming budget hearings; he told commissioners he would return with refined timing and dollar figures for formal action during the regular budget process.
