During the budget hearing the sheriff described a range of detention‑center and equipment requests that the department says are driven by aging infrastructure, contract costs and changes in equipment life cycles.

The sheriff said the county’s contract medical provider and outside medical costs for detainees are a major, rising expense in the jail budget and that the county is discussing alternatives. He said KDADS payments for individuals awaiting state placements (e.g., Larned) provide intermittent offset payments (roughly $100 per day in cases cited), but that federal inmate counts have fallen and federal revenue is down, creating revenue pressure.

Detention facility needs cited in the hearing include: a needed sewer repair under the female pod (g‑pod) where a line has collapsed and an estimated line item was included ($45,000); ongoing shower improvements and corroded valves; continued annual toilet and door‑lock replacements for stainless and porcelain fixtures (toilet units and lock rebuilds were described as costly); and a Wi‑Fi upgrade in the jail to support a new jail management system and mobile inspection/check‑in devices (moving away from wand‑based logging). The sheriff said shower stall and valve work is ongoing and that some toilet replacements have previously cost several thousand dollars each.

Equipment and technology: the office seeks replacement cycles for patrol vehicles and desktop computers, and expressed concern about drone procurement due to state restrictions on foreign‑made UAVs (the sheriff noted American alternatives remain more expensive). The sheriff said Axon/Taser technology lifecycle and replacement costs are large; a full replacement quote was described in the packet and the department is considering reduced coverage for tasers but noted the devices remain critical for some patrol and jail operations.

On the jail’s daily operating costs the sheriff noted building maintenance and utility volatility and requested higher supplemental maintenance funding for detention building needs. He said some of the jail’s rising costs will likely have to be covered by supplements or transferred funds if not budgeted now.

Ending: The jail and equipment requests will be considered during the budget work session schedule; commissioners requested additional detail and noted the large sums associated with equipment lifecycle replacements.