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Council approves sheriff's reclassification and small commissary expenditures; earmarks special distribution for jail repairs
Summary
The council approved the sheriff's request to reclassify a lieutenant slot to a road merit deputy, authorized $5,000 and $1,500 commissary expenditures for outreach and landscaping, and discussed using a recent $232,000 jail distribution plus fund balance to begin repairs including a failing cinder-block wall and cooler floor.
The Clinton County Council approved several requests from Sheriff Kelly, including reclassifying a lieutenant pay line to a merit deputy position, and authorized modest commissary expenditures, while also discussing a separate, larger pool of funds earmarked for jail repairs.
Sheriff Kelly requested $5,000 from commissary funds for outreach giveaways used at summer events, parades and school presentations, and $1,500 for landscaping and potential small mowing equipment at the sheriff's office. He also requested the council reclassify a lieutenant slot to a merit deputy road position to place an additional deputy on the road and to reduce payroll for that position going forward. "We're taking the lieutenant line and reducing it to a deputy line... it's a pay reduction, but it's a merit deputy slot instead of paying that person as a lieutenant," Kelly said. The reclassification is tied to a recent retiree and to a civilian hire for offender registry and evidence work.
Councilmember Joe moved and Mike seconded the motion to approve the commissary expenses and the reclassification; both measures passed 6-0.
Separately, the council reviewed a recent special distribution that included approximately $232,000 labeled for jail-related local income tax (public safety). Council members said that distribution plus the cash balance in the jail fund yields roughly $1 million available for repairs and recommended beginning work on several priority items. Sheriff Kelly outlined immediate needs: replacing a deteriorating cinder-block wall in a kitchen/washer area, repairing a cooler floor (floor replacement rather than full cooler replacement), ductwork replaced to improve air quality and key system updates for building access. He noted boiler issues may surface later.
Council members cautioned the distribution may not recur next year and recommended prioritizing repairs. The council asked the sheriff and commissioners to coordinate bids for masonry and other work and to consider funding timing in the 2026 budget process.
